


Family Relations

by impalagirl, wilddragonflying



Series: Roleplays [44]
Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: A/B/O done a bit differently, Alternate Universe - Human, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Anal Sex, Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, F/M, Fake/Pretend Relationship, Heat Sex, M/M, Omega!Stiles, Past Relationships, Pining, a/b/o dynamics, alpha!Derek, bottom!Derek, general Kate Argent warning
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-07-26
Updated: 2016-07-26
Packaged: 2018-07-26 22:44:38
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 30,389
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7593091
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/impalagirl/pseuds/impalagirl, https://archiveofourown.org/users/wilddragonflying/pseuds/wilddragonflying
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p><i>Derek's been living peacefully in New York City for going on five years when his half-brother, Scott McCall, calls him up to tell him a friend recently lost their alpha and the alpha's family is being a bag of dicks about inheritance, and his friend already has one child with another on the way. "I know you don't like omegas," Scott had pleaded, "but please; he doesn't have anywhere else to go."</i> </p><p> </p><p>  <i>Derek, because he had never been able to say no to Scott's puppy eyes - even when they were pulled out over the phone where Derek couldn't even see them - eventually agreed. Of course, he probably should have asked what the omega's name was.</i></p>
            </blockquote>





	Family Relations

**Author's Note:**

> Okay so a bit of background information: Derek is not from a large Hale family; it was just him and Talia, and in this AU his father was also Scott's dad, although Raphael rejected Derek v harshly. Kate does kill Talia, but that is only mentioned in the fic as it happened years before this fic takes place.

Derek's been living peacefully in New York City for going on five years when his half-brother, Scott McCall, calls him up to tell him a friend recently lost their alpha and the alpha's family is being a bag of dicks about inheritance, and his friend already has one child with another on the way. "I know you don't like omegas," Scott had pleaded, "but please; he doesn't have anywhere else to go." 

Derek, because he had never been able to say no to Scott's puppy eyes - even when they were pulled out over the phone where Derek couldn't even see them - eventually agreed. Of course, he probably should have asked what the omega's name was.

" _You,_ " Derek scowls when he opens his front door. "What are you doing here?"

Stiles sighs, his grip tightening fractionally on Cassidy's little hand. "Apparently, making a mistake," he says. "Don't worry about it. Come on, sweetie, we'll call Uncle Scott from the car."

Derek catches the way Stiles's hand moves, and he sighs. "No, come on in," he says. "I'd like to call Scott, too." 

Stiles' mouth twists down at the corners, but he nods and marches himself and his daughter into Derek's apartment. "We won't stay long," he promises. "Just long enough to find out what the hell he was thinking."

Derek reflexively glances at Stiles's daughter, but she seems too preoccupied with gazing at his apartment with wide eyes, dragging in deep breaths to take in as much scent-wise as she can to notice the swear. "I've got some apple juice in the fridge," he finds himself offering almost against his will as he closes the door behind them. 

"Thanks," Stiles says flatly, without looking at Derek. "Baby, why don't you sit down for me while I go and get you a drink?" Cassidy obediently takes a seat, sitting right on the edge of the sofa with her legs dangling, and Stiles leaves the room without another word.

After a moment, Cassidy twists to look at Derek over the back of the couch. "Who are you?" she asks.

Derek hesitates. "I'm a friend of Uncle Scott's," he says, because if Stiles decides to leave, he doesn't want this little girl to know he's Scott's brother. "What's your name?" 

"Cassidy." Stiles' daughter hesitates, looking thoughtful. "Are we gonna stay with you?"

"No," Stiles answers, coming back into the room and pressing a cup of juice into Cassidy's hands. "Uncle Scott made a mistake; we're just here until we get everything straightened out."

Derek nods stiffly. "I'll call him," he offers, already pulling out his phone. 

Stiles doesn't say anything, just rests his gaze in his lap and waits for the call to connect.

"Okay," Scott says when it finally does. "I know you're probably mad, but I didn't know who else to ask."

"You're da - darn right I'm mad," Derek says with an apologetic glance at Cassidy, who is busy with her juice. "And so is Stiles." 

"Well, he's still gonna stay, right? He needs somewhere to stay, Derek, don't kick him out!"

Derek rolls his eyes, switching the phone to speaker. "I'm pretty sure Stiles doesn't want to stay in an apartment with me, Scott." 

Stiles gives Derek a strange look, while Scott continues to chatter. "Look, I know you guys haven't talked in forever but he's desperate, okay? You can't see him and his little girl out on the streets, and I know he won't do that to Cassidy, either. Come on, Derek! You're my brother, man, and Stiles is the next best thing. _Please?_ "

"Alright, alright," Derek finally says. "Fine. _If_ Stiles wants to stay here, then he can. But only if he wants to." 

"Thank you, Derek, thank you, you have no idea how much this--"

Stiles reaches over to pluck the phone right out of Derek's hand and holds it up in front of his face. "Scott, it's got nothing to do with whether or not Derek will let us stay," he snaps. "You lied to both of us."

"Because I knew you'd say no!"

"Scott. Have you just conveniently forgotten about the little fact that Stiles and I _don't like each other?_ "

"You don't know each other anymore! And I don't know anyone else in New York! Stiles, would you really rather be _homeless?_ "

Stiles meets Derek's gaze. "You're right," he tells Scott. "I won't do that to Cass. But you still should have told us, Scott."

"I know, I know," Scott says, "and I'm sorry! You're gonna do it anyway, though, right?"

Stiles sighs. "If it's really okay with Derek."

"It is," Derek says. "I do have a spare bedroom you can use." 

"Fine," Stiles says. "Just until we get back on our feet."

Static crackles over the speaker as Scott heaves a heavy sigh. "Thank _God_."

"Yeah, yeah," Derek says. "Say hi to Melissa for us, Scott." Then he hangs up. He takes a deep breath, then looks at Stiles. "I'm guessing you've got stuff to bring in?" 

"In the car," Stiles says. "It can wait. I'm trying to space out the heavy lifting because, well." He gestures to his stomach.

Derek nods. "I can get it," he offers, because that's what alphas are supposed to do. "If you tell me which car it is and give me the keys I'll get your things." 

Stiles looks surprised, but he fishes his keys out of his pocket and throws them to Derek anyway. "It's the blue Jeep," he says. "Thanks."

Derek catches the keys with a nod. "Make yourself at home," he says. "Bathroom is the second door on the right down the hall." 

When Derek returns with their stuff, Stiles hasn't moved except to pull Cassidy onto his lap. She's occupied for now by the pattern in the cup she's holding, and Stiles peers at Derek over the top of her head. "I know you don't want me here," he says. "But thank you for giving my daughter a roof over her head."

"You're pregnant, you've already got one kid, and I'm guessing you don't make a whole awful lot if you can't afford an apartment of your own," Derek says with a shrug as he locks the door before picking up the luggage and heading for the spare room. "I wouldn't have stopped you if you wanted to leave, but since you don't..." 

"I understand," Stiles says, nodding. A gentle nudge encourages Cassidy to slide off his lap, and he gets to his feet. "Don't move, okay?"

Cassidy doesn't even look up. "Okay, Mommy."

Stiles moves to Derek's side and hefts one of the bags onto his shoulder. "Which way?" he asks.

"It's just down here," Derek says, leading the way. "Big enough bed for the both of you, or I've got a pull-out mattress underneath mine I can bring in here." 

Stiles shakes his head. "She doesn't like being away from me, ever since..." He fixed Derek with a defiant look, as though willing him to question his parenting methods. "We'll be fine."

Derek, however, just nods. "Okay. There's extra bedding and towels and stuff in the closet right across the hall, and my bedroom is the second door on the other side. If you need anything, just let me know." 

"Thank you," Stiles says again, and turns away to start unpacking.

When Derek comes back out into the living room, Cassidy is kneeling up in her seat, her elbows resting on the back of the sofa. "Are you Uncle Scott's brother?" she asks curiously.

"I am," Derek says, coming to sit next to her on the couch. "I guess you and your mom are gonna be staying with me for a while." 

Cassidy twists until she's sitting again, facing Derek. "I guess," she says. She watches Derek curiously for a moment before continuing. "Mommy smells sad a lot lately. But when we got here, he smelled mad. Is mad better than sad?"

"I don't know," Derek says awkwardly. "I guess, maybe if the mad keeps you from focusing too much on the sad, then it's not a bad thing." 

Cassidy takes a moment to process that, and then nods. "I like you, Uncle Derek."

Derek's not sure what his face does just then, but he bets it isn't attractive. "'Uncle Derek'?" 

Cassidy grins. "If you're Uncle Scott's brother, then you're my Uncle Derek."

Derek gives Cassidy an uncertain smile. "I guess so," he concedes, then decides maybe he should change the subject. "Did you bring any toys or games with you?" 

"Yeah!" Cassidy is already scrambling off the couch. "I have a whole train set and some teddies and card games-- Mommy taught me to play snap! Wanna play?"

"Sure," Derek says, amused, as he follows the young beta. "Been awhile since I've played a good card game." 

Cassidy leads Derek into the spare bedroom, where Stiles is unpacking their things. "Mommy, Mommy, do you have the cards? Uncle Derek wants to play snap with me!"

Stiles folds a cardigan over his arm and looks over at Derek. "Uncle Derek?" he asks.

Derek shrugs. "I'm Scott's brother, so Cassidy decided I'm apparently her uncle too." 

"Right," Stiles says, his expression unreadable. He reaches into one of their bags and hands a pack of playing cards to Cassidy. "Have fun."

"Why don't you get it set up," Derek suggests, squatting down so he's on Cassidy's level. "I want to ask your mom something real quick." 

"Okay!" Cassidy pats Derek on the head and darts passed him and out of the room.

Derek can't help but smile as he watches her go, but the smile vanishes when he straightens to look at Stiles. "Look, if you don't want her calling me Uncle Derek, that's fine. I know it implies... a lot of things," he says, careful to keep his voice as neutral as possible. 

"It implies that you're not going to up and leave her at a moment's notice and stay off the grid for nearly ten years," Stiles says tersely. "Is that the case?"

"I didn't go 'off the grid,'" Derek snaps. "I stayed in touch with Melissa and Scott." 

"Oh, and that's all that matters, is it?" Stiles snaps right back. "It doesn't matter that I got left behind, as long as _Scott_ is okay."

" _You_ were the one who - " Derek starts, but catches himself with a growl. "Never mind. For however long you stay here, I won't just up and disappear," he says instead. "I'll try not to get too involved in your kid's life." 

That clearly isn't the answer Stiles wanted, but at the same time he looks like he expected nothing less. "Fine," he says. "I believe you have a game to be getting on with."

Derek nods, a bit stiffly, and takes a moment to pause outside the doorway, out of sight of both omega and beta, and roll his head, his neck cracking satisfactorily. This was going to be tough, he knew, but hey, at least if it all went to shit, he could blame Scott. 

* * *

While Cassidy has been making herself at home since the beginning, it takes just over a week for Stiles and Derek to relax around each other. Cassidy is still calling Derek 'Uncle', and Stiles isn't about to stop her so long as Derek keeps acting like an uncle; he's doing a good job so far, playing with her when she asks and talking to her like he actually wants to, rather than like she's just some annoying kid who won't shut up. Alec used to talk to her like that, sometimes, and Stiles wonders if she's old enough to know the difference.

If she is, she doesn't comment on it. And she still cries in the night when she wakes up reaching for a father who isn't there - who was rarely there even when he was alive. Stiles joins her sometimes, and those nights are the worst, when he can't even keep it together for his own daughter.

There are some things that he can do for her, though, like fight for what's rightfully hers while she's still too young to even know what that means. But it doesn't necessarily mean he's very successful. Stiles walks through the door one afternoon to find Derek and Cassidy on the sofa, watching _Frozen_ for the millionth time. He's panting slightly from the exertion of walking up three flights of stairs, and he's mad as all hell.

"Are you okay, Mommy?" Cassidy asks, craning her neck to peer over at him.

Stiles raises a hand to wave away her concerns. "I'm fine, baby, I'm just tired."

"Sit down then," Cassidy orders him, hopping off the sofa and striding determinedly toward the kitchen. "I'll get you some water."

"Cassidy can you even reach the--" Stiles begins, but she's already gone. He sighs and sinks into her place on the sofa.

Derek keeps an ear out to make sure she doesn't break anything, but focuses most of his attention on Stiles. "You look like crap," he decides after a moment. "Where'd you go?" Stiles hadn't told him anything beyond that he was going to a meeting, and Derek had offered to keep an eye on Cassidy while he worked on one of the websites he managed that had been having issues with some of the coding.

"To meet with Alec's lawyers," Stiles says, and he realises that's the first time he's said Alec's name to Derek. "My, um. My alpha. His family are making it incredibly difficult for me to access my inheritance, or secure Cassidy's."

"But you're the omega," Derek says, frowning slightly. "Shouldn't the law be on your side?" 

"One would think," Stiles says, shaking his head, "but his family are incredibly crafty. The matriarch is an omega, and she's using that to her advantage. Trying to claim that we weren't mated long enough and that we weren't a love match - like that matters. I don't even care about myself, mostly, I just want to make sure that my children are provided for. And the worst part is that they won't even let us leave the state."

Derek's frown deepens. The law these days usually favors omegas over alphas, who are generally viewed as too rash and ruled by their instincts to be trusted in positions of power. They're good for protecting home and family, and for working certain jobs like security, but by and large society favors omegas. The matriarch of the family being an omega who wants to try to block Stiles's access to what should be rightfully his as his children's inheritance is going to make Stiles's life that much harder. "Christ," he says. "You're right - length of mating and whether or not you were a love match doesnt matter, legally. Does she have any actual grounds?" 

Stiles sighs. "No," he says. "None. She's just being an _asshole_ , and she's made it perfectly clear that she's not above trying to prove that I'm an unfit mother and that I should have Cassidy _and_ Peanut taken away from me."

Derek's gaze flickers down to Stiles's stomach and then towards the kitchen, where he can hear Cassidy singing to herself as the kitchen sink runs. "For what it's worth," he says, looking back at Stiles, "I think you're doing a good job. I've made some friends in the city, and a couple of people owe me favors for fixing their websites. I could ask around, see if anyone has any advice?" 

Stiles looks surprised, but he nods. "Thank you," he says. "That-- that would be great."

Cassidy comes back in then, and hands Stiles a glass of water before wriggling into the space between Stiles and Derek on the couch.

Derek obediently moves his arm to make room for Cassidy. "I'll make some calls tomorrow," he tells Stiles as he reaches for the remote to resume the movie. 

* * *

Stiles can't sleep. The blankets are screwed up all wrong and Cassidy is like a burning furnace against his side, and he just can't sleep. He's also kind of hungry, he realises, looking down thoughtfully at his sleeping daughter. He hasn't left her during the night ever since Alec died, but just once can't hurt, can it?

It takes him five minutes to slip out from under Cassidy and get out of bed without disturbing her, and when he checks the time and sees that it's past midnight, he thinks absolutely nothing of wandering through the apartment wearing only boxers and a t-shirt that's way too tight over his swollen stomach. Apparently he should have known better, though, because Derek is sitting on the sofa, his face illuminated by the soft glow of the TV. He looks kind of pretty, in an ethereal sort of way.

"Uh, hi," Stiles says, feeling somewhat awkward. "You can't sleep either, huh?"

Derek's startled by Stiles's voice, but then he shakes his head. "Nah, I have a hard time sleeping most nights without drugs, and I don't like the way they make me feel. So I just get reacquainted with insomnia every night." 

Stiles' eyes widen at Derek's candour, and before he can second-guess himself he's crossing the room and sitting beside Derek on the sofa. "I didn't know," he says softly. "Has that been going on long?"

Derek snorts. "Since my mom was killed. I've just gotten good at hiding it." 

Stiles nods, looks down. "I'm sorry," he says, "if me being here is a reminder, or--"

Derek shakes his head, shrugging as well for good measure. "Not really. I've been dealing with it for over a decade now, and you and I didn't get to know each other until after." 

"Fair," Stiles says. His gaze wanders toward the door, thinking about Cassidy and the rumble in his belly that made him get out of bed in the first place. "I-- Do you want some toast?"

"That'd be good," Derek decides, pausing the TV. "How burnt do you want it?" 

Stiles grins, memories of all the times they'd badgered Derek into helping them use the McCalls' evil toaster flooding back to him. "The blacker the better, man."

Derek rolls his eyes as he gets to his feet. "Of course you still like it that way," he says as he heads into the kitchen. "How many slices do you want?" 

"At least two," Stiles answers, kicking his feet up onto the coffee table.

Derek nods, popping his and Stiles's toast in, grateful for the 4-piece toaster he'd splurged on. He takes his out early, so that it's warm and the crust is just this side of burnt. He waits for Stiles's to be done before slathering butter on it, taking the toast out of plates. "You get crumbs anywhere, you're cleaning them up," he warns. 

Stiles laughs and crunches into his toast with relish. "You haven't changed a bit, have you?"

Derek rolls his eyes. "I'd like to think some things have changed, but otherwise, no." 

Stiles' smile softens. "Some things," he agrees.

* * *

Some of the awkwardness between Stiles and Derek seems to dissipate after that. It's still there, and there are times when Stiles looks over and Derek and all he can see is the lost and lonely teenager who moved in with Scott and his mom all those years ago - just like there are times when Stiles can see nothing of that boy at all. It makes for a confusing and somewhat stilted relationship, but he thinks they're getting better.

They're definitely comfortable enough around each other to plan group outings, it seems. Stiles isn't exactly sure how it happens, but they end up taking Cassidy to the park, sitting beside each other on a bench and watching her run around, chasing ducks and butterflies and whatever else catches her fancy. It would be a perfectly pleasant afternoon, if it weren't for the looks a neighbouring parent keeps sending their way.

"Is she staring again?" Derek asks, starting to get annoyed. The woman - an alpha - had been shooting them judging looks for the past hour, and it’s grating on Derek's nerves. 

Stiles sighs. "Just leave it," he says, pointedly fixing his gaze straight ahead, "it doesn't matter. There's always one."

"Why?" Derek asks, shooting the alpha a glare of his own. "It's not like you're cheating or anything." 

"I know that," Stiles says, "and so do you. What does anyone else's opinion matter?"

"It shouldn't," Derek agrees. "I don't know why she's bothering me so much." 

Stiles just sighs and keeps his eyes on his daughter, and for a few moments they enjoy some peace and quiet. Until the alpha opens her mouth.

"Who the hell does he think he is, stepping out with some random alpha while he's carrying someone _else's_ baby, like he's above it all?"

Derek can feel the growl building in his chest; who the hell does _she_ think she is, judging someone she doesn't even know? "Can I please go hit her?" he mutters under his breath. 

"I don't think you're supposed to hit women," Stiles says mildly, "and you definitely don't want to get into a pissing contest with another alpha over an omega who isn't even yours."

Derek scowls. "She's gonna upset Cass, though." 

Stiles smiles a soft, pleased little smile. "Cass is off in her own world," he says. "We'll leave before she notices."

"Notices what?" the woman mutters to herself. "That her mother is a _whore?_ "

And, that's it. "Hey!" Derek snaps, whirling on the park bench to glare full-on at the woman. "How about _you_ notice when you're sticking your nose where it doesn't belong? Do we fucking smell like anything other than friends, bitch?" 

The woman smirks. "Do you really want me to answer that in public?"

Derek bares his teeth. "I think it's been so long since you got fucked that you forgot how people who are more than just roommates smell," he snarls, getting to his feet. 

"Hey!" Stiles hisses, his hand suddenly firm on Derek's arm. "Sit down."

Derek growls, low and deep in his chest, before he complies, grumbling under his breath. It takes a few moments before he can speak without still growling, and the first thing he says is, "I'm sorry."

Stiles sighs, and finally lets go of Derek. "I'm mad, too," he says, "but what kind of example would I be setting for my kids, alpha or omega, if I took off every time an alpha thought with their knot?"

Derek shifts guiltily. "I know. I'm sorry for going off on her." 

"It's okay," Stiles says, nodding. "Do you want to go?"

Derek glances from where the alpha is now glaring daggers at him to where Cassidy is happily playing on the swings. "No," he decides. "It's the first really nice day in a while, let's stay." 

Silence falls between them, broken only by the sounds of the park and playground, but eventually Derek speaks again. "Which do you think Cassidy will present as?" he asks, gesturing to where the beta is currently leading a small group through some convoluted playset follow-the-leader game. 

Stiles hums thoughtfully. "My best guess would be an alpha," he says, "but she may surprise us, yet."

Derek chuckles. "She might," he agrees. "She's definitely headstrong, but she gets that honest. I haven't seen her lose her temper yet, though." 

Stiles laughs outright at that. "She's been on her best behaviour because she doesn't want Uncle Derek to know she's a demon. Just wait until she gets really comfortable around you."

Derek grins. "Oh, is that so? Well, we'll just have to see how bad she gets then." 

"Whatever she is," Stiles sighs, resting a hand on his stomach, "I hope Peanut is the opposite. I always wanted one of each."

"Oh?" Derek asks, voice soft as he watches Stiles's stomach for a moment before glancing back up to meet Stiles's gaze. 

Stiles smiles, his hand rubbing slow circles over his abdomen. "I hated being an only child, always felt like I was stealing Scott away from you and Melissa. I never wanted my own kids to feel like that."

Derek, who'd been almost hypnotized by the way Stiles was rubbing his baby bump, blinks and looks up. "You were never taking Scott from us," he says. "And you know Melissa would knock you upside the head for thinking that while Scott pulled out the kicked puppy look. But I understand why you wouldn't want your kids to be alone." 

Stiles gives Derek a grateful look. "Was it hard for you?" he asks. "Growing up without siblings, I mean. Scott had me pretty much from birth, but when he found out about you he always wondered what it would be like to know you."

"It was a little hard," Derek admits. "It was just me and my mom, and she always said that my father was a bag of dicks - not in so many words, but the feeling was there." 

"Well, as I'm sure you're aware, it wasn't a lie," Stiles says darkly. "I still hate that guy and I didn't even know him that well."

Derek shrugs. "I never knew him, and when I found out about Scott and how he knew our father, I was pretty jealous." 

"I figured," Stiles says, nodding. "But you seriously weren't missing out."

"I eventually figured that out," Derek says with a laugh. 

Stiles smiles. "Have you seen much of him, these last few years?"

Derek snorts. "Nope. Nor do I really have any desire to; I've gotten over being jealous of Scott knowing him, and McCall made his opinion of me pretty clear."

Stiles frowns. "Well, like I always said to Scott, it's his loss," he says. "You're better than him."

Derek looks at Stiles in surprise, but then he tentatively smiles. "Thanks."

* * *

Two weeks later, everything goes to shit.

Derek gets a phonecall in the morning, and Stiles doesn't have to listen in to know that it's bad. He sends Cassidy to their room and shuts the door behind her, and waits until a few minutes after Derek puts the phone down to approach. "Are you okay?" he asks carefully. "What was that about?"

Derek takes a deep breath, hands flexing in and out of fists on his lap. "Someone's trying to reopen the fire case," he says finally. "That was one of my friends who's got access to the case files; apparently Kate's father is trying to find grounds to get her released early."

Stiles' jaw hits the floor. " _What_ grounds?" he demands. "What grounds could there possibly _be?_ ”

Derek shrugs. "I didn't ask," he says. "Laurent just wanted to let me know that there were people snooping around the files."

"Well, it won't work," Stiles says derisively. "There's nothing on this earth that could get Kate released early."

"Doesn't mean that Gerard won't try," Derek says, resigned. "Doesn't mean that I won't be very likely be called in for another interview."

Stiles winces and reaches out to squeeze Derek's arm. "It'll be okay," he says.

"Right," Derek scoffs. "Of course it will." 

* * *

"Right!" Stiles announces two hours later, when Derek still has a face like thunder and Cassidy has yet to make a sound since she came out of her room. "We're going out. Get your coats, hats and shoes, ladies and gentlemen."

Cassidy looks around from where she's been watching _Frozen_ with the sound off. "Mommy?"

"Come on! We're going to get ice cream!"

Derek gives himself a shake, then forces himself off the couch. "That's a great idea," he says, giving a smile for Cassidy's benefit. "Come on, let's see if we can hunt down your shoes." 

* * *

When they get to the ice cream parlour, Stiles takes their orders and tells Derek and Cassidy to grab a table while he's at the counter. Cassidy runs off to snag a booth, and when Derek slides in opposite her she fixes him with a searching look. "You smelled mad before," she says. "Like, _really_ mad. Were you mad at Mommy?"

Derek sighs. "No, sweetheart - I wasn't mad at Mommy. I got a phone call that had some very bad news, and I was mad about that." 

"Is that why you smell sad now?" Cassidy asks.

"It is," Derek says. "There was a lady who was really mean to me and my mom, and she got sent to jail for what she did, but some people are trying to get her out before she's supposed to be." 

Cassidy scowls. "That's bad," she says, before giving Derek a bright smile. "But don't be sad, Uncle Derek. Me and Mommy won't let the mean lady get you."

"Thank you, Cass," Derek says with a smile. "I appreciate that."

Cassidy grins back, and Stiles laughs when he reaches them and sets their ice cream down on the table. "What are you two smiling about?"

Derek takes his ice cream with a smile. "Cassidy just promised that you two would protect me from the mean lady who's in jail," he informs Stiles. "I'm holding you to that."

Stiles slides into the seat beside Cassidy and she turns her grin on him. "We won't let her get Uncle Derek, will we, Mommy?"

"Of course," Stiles says. "He'll be safe with us."

Derek smiles into his ice cream, something warm growing in his chest just behind his heart. "Thank you." 

"So," Stiles says, gesturing with his spoon to Derek's bowl. "Rocky road, huh? That's new."

"I guess," Derek says with a shrug, chasing a piece of chocolate with his spoon. "One of my friends, Kira, had a bad breakup and this was all we ate that weekend. Had a taste for it ever since." 

Stiles affects a shocked expression. "You mean you have _friends?_ "

Derek balls up a napkin and tosses it at Stiles's head. "Shut up," he laughs. "I did live here for five years before you showed up on my doorstep." 

"So I've been told," Stiles says, grinning. "What exactly have you been doing all these years, anyway?"

"Web design and coding, mostly," Derek says. "I maintain several websites and consult on a couple of others." 

"That's impressive," Stiles says, looking interested. "And it explains why you never leave the apartment."

"You don't either, Mommy," Cassidy pipes up. "You can't talk."

Derek grins while Stiles splutters. "What do you do, anyway? I'm assuming you have _some_ source of income." 

"A little," Stiles concedes. "I work for a publishing house, at the very bottom of the ladder. Mostly my job consists of reading hundreds of manuscripts, looking for the next _Harry Potter_."

"Ouch," Derek says, wincing in sympathy. "It doesn't pay too well, I'm guessing."

"Not enough to support myself, let alone Cass," Stiles says. "That's why we ended up on your doorstep."

Derek nods understandingly. "How are things going with his family?" he asks. "Did Mark help any?" Mark was the omega lawyer that Derek had referred Stiles to.

"Yeah," Stiles says, "he's been great, actually. It's just kind of a waiting game, now. The in-laws are dragging their feet, waiting for Peanut to be born."

Stiles glances at Cassidy, wondering how much he should say in front of her; how much she'd understand. "They want both," he explains after a moment.

Derek bites back his first response, an outraged snarl, and instead takes a moment to gather his thoughts. "They can't have any legal grounds for that," he says. "It's not like you're on the streets, or in some crappy tiny apartment that's not even big enough for you." 

"But they're pack," Stiles says quietly, keeping one eye on his daughter. "I lost that right when Alec passed, but he was their alpha, so they belong in his pack. I don't have a pack while I'm in New York, and I can't leave to rejoin my father's because then I'd be forcibly taking two helpless pack members away from their family, which I understand is something they _can_ come after me for. Unless I can prove that I can support myself and them independently, or that I have pack ties that are stronger than theirs, my hands are tied."

Derek sets his jaw, stubbornness rising in him. "They also can't take two children away from their mother," he argues. "You have rights - even more than they do, since Cass is still with you and Peanut's not even born yet."

Stiles smiles softly at Derek's use of the word _Peanut_. "But they have more power than me," he says. "They're one of the most powerful packs in New York and the matriarch is incredibly influential. Believe me, Derek, I'm fighting this as hard as I can, and I fully intend to win. It's just not gonna be easy."

Derek sighs. "I know you are. And you've got my full support, okay? Whatever you need."

Stiles' smile brightens, and he nods. "Thank you," he says. "That means a lot."

"You're welcome," Derek says. The three lapse into silence, enjoying their ice creams. It's not until they're nearly ready to leave that Derek says, "What if you could rejoin your dad's pack while staying here?"

Stiles' eyes widen. "Well obviously that would help a lot," he says, "but I can't."

Derek takes a deep breath. "You could," he says carefully, "if you accepted me as your alpha."

For a split second, Stiles is a seventeen-year-old boy again, his heart pounding out of his chest at the mere thought that Derek might be interested in him. But then he returns to earth with a hard bump, to the reality where he has two children to think about, not to mention a fragile heart to guard. "I-- I don't know, Derek," he forces himself to say. "It's really soon after Alec, and it'd be really confusing for..." He glances pointedly at Cassidy.

Derek shakes his head, then explains, "I don't mean _actually_ mating, but, well, I'm still in your father's pack, thanks to him and Melissa mating. Enough for me to count as pack, and if we convinced Alec's family that we were planning to mate, that might be enough to counteract their own status as a powerful pack."

"It might be," Stiles says slowly. "It might also convince them that I'm fickle and easy and that I never really cared about Alec."

Derek taps a finger against the tabletop. "What if we said that we weren't planning to mate for a while yet?" he suggests. "That would show respect for Alec, and show that we're not being irresponsible about this, taking our time to get to know each other again. Plus they wouldn't expect much more from us than some more intimate scents, which could be accomplished relatively easily."

Just that thought alone kind of makes Stiles want to die, which might be more telling than he cares to admit. "It's a good idea," he says, because he has to think of his kids. "But let's both sleep on it. We don't want to rush into anything."

"Of course," Derek says, nodding. "When are you meeting with Mark again?"

"Sometime in the next couple of weeks," Stiles answers. "I have the date at home."

"Then we don't have to make a decision until about then," Derek says. "It's just a suggestion, and I won't be offended if you say no." 

Stiles smiles. "Thank you."

* * *

It takes two days for Stiles to reach a decision. On the one hand, he really doesn't want to open that can of worms again, but on the other, he needs to think of his children. If pretending to be Derek's mate will give him a better chance of keeping his kids, he doesn't have a choice, his own emotional wellbeing be damned.

On the third day he waits until Cassidy goes to bed before approaching Derek. "I'd like to accept your offer," he says without preamble. "My meeting with Mark is next Tuesday; if he thinks it'll help, I think we should do it."

Derek's surprised that Stiles is actually accepting his offer, but he nods. "That sounds like a plan," he says, smiling. "I hope it'll help you keep your kids and get their inheritance."

Stiles smiles back. "Don't feel like you have to go through with it, though," he says. "You can back out at any time. I know it's not going to be the easiest thing in the world, pretending to be my mate."

Derek shrugs. "It'll be easy enough; we already live together, we're friends, and I love Cass," he replies.

Stiles tries to convince himself that Derek won't hear the way his heart stutters at those words. "Alright," he says. "Then I guess we'll see what Mark has to say."

* * *

Mark thinks it's a great idea, and advises them to spend the remaining months of Stiles' pregnancy preparing to sell their partnership as convincingly as possible. The only problem with that is that Stiles is hormonal as hell, and sometimes it's difficult for him to differentiate between what's real and what's pretend. At least, he's blaming it on the hormones.

Still, for the most part, things are good. He and Derek are getting closer, Derek and Cassidy are pretty much perfect - despite the fact that she finally threw a fit on him a few weeks ago - and Stiles is finally starting to relax, starting to see Derek's apartment as his home. Which is probably why, one afternoon when Derek is sitting at the breakfast bar and Stiles is sprawled on the sofa, both trying to get some work done while Cassidy plays on the floor between the rooms, Stiles suddenly yelps and throws his laptop away from him, shouting, "Cass! Derek! Get over here quick!"

Cassidy beats Derek to Stiles only because she was closer to begin with, and Derek nearly kills himself tripping over one of her toys to get to Stiles's side. "What, what is it?" he demands, hovering next to the pregnant omega with a worried expression identical to Cassidy's. "Are you okay?" 

"Give me your hands," Stiles says, and when they do he presses them both to his stomach. A moment later and Peanut kicks out beneath Derek's palm.

"Oh my God," Derek breathes, glancing from his hand to Stiles. "Did he just - " 

"What?" Cassidy demands, even as Stiles beams and nods. "What's happening?"

"Just wait," Stiles tells her, and sure enough, Peanut kicks her, too.

Cassidy squeals. "What was _that!_ "

"That was your younger sibling," Derek tells her, smiling. "They're kicking out; it's a good sign." 

"Peanut is _kicking_ Mommy?" Cassidy asks, looking horrified.

"He's not doing it to be mean," Derek explains. "All babies do it; it's how they let their moms know they're still alive and doing fine." 

Cassidy thinks about that for a moment, and then bends to kiss Stiles' stomach. "I love you, Peanut," she murmurs, and Stiles _melts_.

Derek does, too; he wraps an arm around Cass's shoulders, pulling her in for a hug and kiss to the top of her head. "I'm sure Peanut loves you, too," he says, sharing a fond glance with Stiles. 

"Okay," Stiles sighs. "I think that's enough work for today. Why don't we watch a movie, huh?"

"I think that sounds like a great idea," Derek says, giving cass a nudge. "Why don't you go pick out a movie?" 

While Cass races off excitedly, Stiles puts his laptop on the coffee table and lifts his feet so that Derek can sit down. "You sure we're not keeping you from something important?"

"Nothing that can't wait a couple of hours," Derek reassures him, settling on the couch next to Stiles and letting one arm fall across the back of the couch behind the omega's head.

Cassidy comes back a moment later with _The Little Mermaid_ and settles herself on the floor, and Stiles waits until Sebastian starts singing to kick his feet up into Derek's lap. It's all he can do to keep from purring when Derek starts to rub them.

* * *

"Oh my god!" Stiles groans, flouncing into the kitchen with his head thrown back. He's barefoot, wearing a light, denim dress that would swirl around his ankles if it weren't for the swell of his stomach. "It's so hot, what the fuck!"

Derek does a double take when he sees what Stiles is wearing. "That's new," he says, pushing a glass of ice water towards Stiles that he'd been planning on drinking; he'll just grab another one. "And the A/C crapped out in the middle of the night; I've already called a repairman."

"Oh, I love you," Stiles sighs, sliding into a seat at the breakfast bar and pressing his wrists to the sides of the glass. "And it's actually really old; I wore it back when I was pregnant with Cassidy. It's just comfortable, y'know?"

Derek's heart does something funny in his chest at Stiles's first words, but he ignores it in favor of responding to the last bit. "No, I don't know," he says mildly. "I'm not in the habit of wearing dresses, but whatever floats your boat. I imagine there's not too many other things that are comfortable once you get past a certain stage."

"Everything's just so tight!" Stiles complains. "I know maternity wear is totally a legitimate thing but it's all really gross-looking and it's still uncomfortable sometimes. Peanut just wants to be free!"

"So do you, apparently," Derek comments with a grin. "But I get what you're saying; Peanut was a bit bigger than expected at your last check up, right?"

"Yup," Stiles says. "Little tyke is growing like crazy. Labour's gonna be _fun_."

"That tone suggests sarcasm," Derek laughs. "But I'm sure Peanut will be worth it."

"I know that," Stiles says with a fond smile. "I can't wait to meet him."

"'Him'?" Derek asks. "Did you find out the sex?"

Stiles grins, a pleased flush staining his cheeks. "Yeah," he says. "Peanut's a boy."

"Yeah? That's great," Derek says, grinning back. "Well on your way to getting that wish of having one of each."

Stiles' smile softens and he rubs a hand idly over his stomach. "A little omega, just like his mom," he says thoughtfully. "I think I could handle that."

Derek grins. "It is looking more and more likely that Cass will be an alpha," he agrees. "She's acting like I did at that age."

"Oh yeah?" Stiles asks, laughing. "Please, tell me all about your prepubescent alpha shenanigans."

Derek shrugs. "I was very protective of my mom, and was always bringing her stuff even without her asking for it," he says. "I was very much a mama's boy." 

Stiles laughs. "What about the crazy moodswings and the screaming and the crying?"

"I had those until I was about three," Derek says thoughtfully. "Then I started mellowing out a bit; I was still protective and I wanted to help Mom anyway that I could, but I wasn't the kind of alpha that was really jealous."

"Really?" Stiles asks. "That's interesting. Scott was a nightmare when we were kids."

Derek shrugs. "I didn't start really exhibiting the typical over-the-top alpha traits until I'd already presented," he says. "I was always a serious kid, and utterly devoted to my mom; she was all I had."

There's something in Derek's eyes that tells Stiles there's more to the story than that, but he decides against commenting in favour of taking a sip from his ice water. "Well, you'll be the first person I call when she presents."

Derek smiles, pleased. "I appreciate that." Even if he doesn't exactly appreciate the implication that that means that Stiles and Cass will no longer be living with him; it's not unreasonable, given that most betas don't actually present until they hit puberty, and Cass is still only three. Derek doesn't particularly want to examine why he feels a bit disappointed that the two - soon to be three - won't be staying with him long-term; he was the one who suggested the temporary solution of pretending to be mating with Stiles, he can suck it up when it comes to the consequences fucking with his instincts.

* * *

A week later and Stiles is back in his dress, lounging on the sofa with a book while Derek and Cassidy play on the floor.

"An' then the bad train, you're the bad train Uncle Derek, comes and _knocks_ the good train straight off the track!"

"Oh, I do, do I?" Derek asks, amused as he moves his train as directed. "That seems awful mean; what did the good train do to me?" 

"The good train didn't do anything to you, Uncle Derek," Cassidy tells him. "That's why you're the bad guy."

"Oh, okay," Derek says, nodding. "That makes sense. So what happens after I knock the good train off the track?" 

"Um." Cassidy hesitates, looking at the floor where her train is now stranded. "Well, my train can _fly_ , so it's gonna come back and get you!"

"Oh no!" Derek gasps. "Don't get me!"

"Sorry, Uncle Derek," Cassidy says, completely unapologetic as her train swoops down to crash into Derek's. "My train can also breathe fire. I think that means you're dead now."

Derek sighs, staring morosely at where his train lies defeated. "I think you're right," he says, shaking his head. "That's what I get for being a bad guy, huh?"

"Yep," Cassidy says brightly, grabbing both trains and jumping up. "I think it's time to watch _Cars_ now. Good game, Uncle Derek!"

Derek laughs as Cassidy darts from the room, presumably to return her trains to hers and Stiles's room and to retrieve the DVD. He settles back against the couch, shifting so that one shoulder is pressed against Stiles's leg. "That's one imaginative kid you've got," he says with a grin.

Stiles smiles back, letting one hand drop without thinking so that he can pet his fingers through Derek's hair. "That's one word for it," he agrees, amused. "She's nuts."

"In a good way," Derek hums, absently leaning into Stiles's touch. 

"Absolutely," Stiles agrees, scritching his nails lightly against Derek's scalp. "You're really good for her, y'know."

"Hmm, you think?" Derek asks, relaxing against the couch and Stiles.

"Yeah," Stiles says. "She really looks up to you. I guess you've become kind of her alpha role-model since Alec died."

Derek considers that for a moment. "There are worse things to be," he says. "I could be teaching her all kinds of swear words." 

Stiles laughs. "She already knows most of them,” he says, "but that's mostly my fault."

"Oh, you're still the foul-mouthed brat you were when we were teenagers?" Derek asks with a grin.

"I was never a brat," Stiles protests, his hand tightening briefly in Derek's hair. "I just liked to get under your skin."

Derek snorts. "You sure accomplished that," he chuckles.

"Whatever," Stiles says. "You were all growly alpha caveman back then. Not that you had no reason to be, but you could've shut me up if you'd really wanted to."

Derek rolls his eyes. "Short of ripping your throat out with my teeth, I don't think so," he retorts.

"I know," Stiles says, and his hand slackens and falls away. "I was ridiculous back then. You'd just lost your family and you were grieving; I'm sorry. I really was a brat."

Derek frowns, shifting so he can look at Stiles better. "I'd rather you have been a brat than treat me like I was going to break any moment."

"Maybe," Stiles says, and he's saved from having to say anything else by the arrival of his daughter. "Where have you been, munchkin?"

Cassidy scowls. "Mommy, I can't find _Cars_."

Stiles sighs and pushes himself to his feet. "Come on then," he says, holding out his hand for Cassidy to take. "Let's see if we can find it."

Derek rolls to his feet as well. "Did you maybe leave it in the _Tangled_ case?" he asks; it wouldn't be the first time DVDs had ended up in the wrong cases.

Cassidy hesitates, thinking, and then she releases Stiles' hand with a squeak and races out of the room. Stiles laughs. "You know her better than I do at this point."

Derek grins. "I used to do the same thing; I had to start leaving the empty DVD case on top of the player to remember to put it back in the right one."

"You still do that," Stiles notes, flopping back onto the sofa with a sigh. "That's actually kinda adorable."

Derek shrugs, settling back into his former spot as Cass emerges, triumphant, with the DVD cases clutched in her hands. The beta watches enough movies that she's able to manipulate the DVD player herself, and Derek grins when she hesitates before climbing onto Derek's lap and shoving the remote in his face. "It's habit," he says to Stiles in answer to his previous statement. "Maybe a habit I should teach her." 

"Yeah," Stiles says, watching Derek and Cass with a mixture of thoughtfulness and affection. "Maybe you should."

* * *

Stiles falls asleep ten minutes into the movie, and when he comes to the first thing he's aware of is the weight of a head on his thigh. He smiles, his eyes still closed, and reaches out to stroke his fingers along - a hairy cheek? Stiles' eyes fly open and he looks down to see that Derek has passed out, too, and is using his leg as a pillow.

Cass is out like a light as well, the clock showing that it's past her bedtime, and Derek's got his arms wrapped around Stiles's daughter (who is snoring loudly) to keep her from falling to the floor. His face is relaxed in a way it too often isn't when he's awake, and when Stiles's fingers curve against his cheek, he lets out a soft noise, shifting in his sleep to try to get closer. 

Stiles lets him, sliding his hand around to cup the back of Derek's head, his heart feeling like it's about to pound out of his chest. He's never been this close to Derek, never seen him like this, and he's _so_ beautiful...

Derek makes another quiet sound, and then his eyes blink open. It takes a moment for his gaze to refocus, and then, half-asleep, he gives Stiles a small smile. "Time is it?" he asks quietly, careful not to wake Cass.

"Almost eight," Stiles murmurs back, his expression soft and tender. "You okay down there?"

Derek shifts slightly, then makes a face at the familiar numb feeling in his lower body. "Everything from the ass down is still asleep," he grumbles.

Stiles laughs. "I'll take Cass from you, and then you can try to stand up."

Derek grins. "Wouldn't want to drop her," he agrees. 

Stiles swipes his thumb over Derek's cheek once before pulling away to lift Cassidy out of Derek's arms.

It's a good thing Stiles is holding Cass now, because as soon as it sinks in what Stiles has done - and how _much_ Derek likes it - the alpha is flinching away so hard and fast that he bangs his elbow into the coffee table. "Did you just - ?" 

"What?" Stiles asks, feeling cold all of a sudden. "I-- I didn't think--"

"No, you didn't," Derek snaps. _And neither did I._ That last goes unsaid as Derek forces himself to his feet before his legs are fully awake; he bangs his shoulder off of one corner of the wall as he heads for his bedroom, and he nearly trips over one of Cass's toys, but he makes it back to his room and almost slams the door shut, sliding the lock home.

The commotion wakes Cassidy, who snuffles sleepily and presses her face into Stiles' neck. "Wha's goin' on, Mom?"

Stiles runs a soothing hand down her back, his gaze on Derek's bedroom door. "I don't know."

* * *

A lot of changes are made over the next week. Derek still pays Cassidy all the attention she could ever desire, but he more or less stops talking to Stiles; with Stiles' pregnancy progressing, his energy waning and his workload increasing, Stiles arranges for Cass to spend a couple of afternoons a week with a childminder; the first time Stiles leaves with Cass, Derek is there making all the right noises, wishing her luck and extracting promises to tell him all about it from her, but he's gone by the time Stiles gets home. Which is why it's so surprising when, despite being absent when they left for the second time, Derek is in the kitchen when Stiles gets home from dropping Cass off.

Stiles hesitates, considers just leaving again, but he decides to test the waters. "I was thinking of hitting the grocery store while Cass is with the 'minder," he says quietly, carefully. "Is there anything you want me to pick up?"

Derek can hear the hesitation in Stiles's voice, the uncertainty that Derek's withdrawal over the past week has caused, and he decides maybe he should try to do something about that; they are supposed to be acting like they're going to be mated. "Not really, but if you'd like some company, I could come with you," he offers just as carefully. 

Stiles can't even try to keep the surprise off his face, just like he can't try to lie. "Yeah," he says. "Yeah, I-- I'd love that."

"Give me a moment to get my shoes on and grab my wallet," Derek says with a smile. 

"Sure," Stiles says, offering Derek a soft smile of his own. "I'll be in the car."

Cass had apparently taken it upon herself to hide his shoes, so it takes Derek a few moments longer to get out of the apartment than anticipated. When he makes it to the lobby, he sees that Stiles got delayed as well - an alpha and omega have obviously accosted him, and Stiles looks supremely uncomfortable. Straightening his shoulders, Derek adopts a loose gait as he approaches, wrapping an arm around Stiles's waist when he's close enough to do so. "Sorry, Cass hid my shoes," he says, giving Stiles a quick nuzzle. "Who are these people?" 

Stiles doesn't have to fake the way the tension bleeds out of his body as soon as Derek touches him. "This is Alec's mother and his older brother," he says. "Violet and Sean, this is Derek."

Violet gives Derek a cold smile. "We were hoping to see my granddaughter," she says conversationally, "but apparently her mother can't handle her full-time, even with a big, strong alpha to take care of them both."

Derek raises an eyebrow. "Stiles is in the late stages of pregnancy," he points out. "And we were heading out to get lunch and groceries. Cassidy is with a minder who we trust and who adores her - and the feeling is mutual. While I am more than happy to watch Cassidy, it's good to expand her social circle and allow her the chance to spread her wings a bit, so to speak." 

Violet purses her lips. "Well, I suppose we can wait," she says. "It's important for her to _socialise_ with other members of her own family, after all. When are you picking her up?"

"Not until tonight," Stiles says tersely. "She loves being with the minder, and were hoping to have some time alone."

"I'll ask you to remember that this is my den you're speaking of essentially invading," Derek says, fighting the urge to step in front of Stiles and put himself between the two omegas. "You would not have been allowed up without permission - and the only person I ever let show up uninvited was Stiles, only because we grew up together." The first bit was a bit of a bluff, but Derek was most definitely going to speak to the doormen. "I understand you wish to see your grandchild, but Stiles is currently her guardian and she is residing in my apartment; the courteous thing to do would be to ask permission to enter another's den." 

"And you're going to refuse me that access?" Violet asks, before turning her piercing gaze on Stiles. "I'd say that I'm surprised you don't keep him on a tighter leash, but you're not exactly the strongest character yourself. You shouldn't let your alpha dominate you, Stiles, I've said this before."

"Derek _doesn't_ dominate me," Stiles snaps.

"Well you certainly don't dominate him."

"If you insist on showing up unannounced and right before we are leaving to run errands, then yes," Derek says, tension coiling in his gut in an entirely unpleasant way. "In a good relationship, no one dominates the other - you're supposed to work together." 

Violet looks at Derek like she pities him, and she probably does. "That's where you're wrong, dear," she says softly.

"Violet," Stiles cuts in. "I'm sorry, but we're going to have to ask you to leave. If you want to see Cassidy, please call and we'll arrange something. But this isn't a good time."

Violet hesitates, like she wants to force the issue, but at last she relents with a tight smile. "I can see that," she says. "I _will_ be in touch." She touches Sean on the elbow, and he jolts as though shocked before turning with his mother and heading back to their car.

Stiles waits until they've driven away before going lax against Derek's side. "Jesus Christ," he breathes.

" _Eurgh,_ " Derek agrees, giving a shake. "She gives me the heebie-jeebies." 

Stiles sighs and presses his face briefly into Derek's shoulder. "I don't wanna go to the store anymore."

Derek rubs Stiles's shoulder comfortingly. "You still wanna grab some food?"

Stiles sighs. "I don't think I have any appetite," he admits.

"Then we can just go back to the apartment," Derek says reassuringly. "We don't have to go out today."

Stiles nods, and lets Derek lead him back toward their building. "I'm sorry she said those things," he says. "Violet has always been... very opinionated, when it comes to alpha/omega dynamics."

"No," Derek says sarcastically, but there's a small smile playing about his lips. "I couldn't tell."

Stiles rolls his eyes and pushes through the main door with a huff. "I was just trying to say that I'm sorry if she upset you."

Derek shrugs. "I didn't like the way she treated Sean - like he was nothing more than a toy, or some sort of automaton. But she didn't say anything terribly bad to me."

"Yeah, well, that's how she treats all of her kids."

Derek frowns. "What do you mean?"

"They're all alphas," Stiles says. "That's how she treats them."

Derek blinks, the uncomfortable feeling in his gut growing. "She treats them all like they're what, robots?"

"I guess," Stiles says. "She thinks alphas are weak, slaves to their hormones. Which, y'know, is not an unpopular opinion. But she takes it to a whole different extreme."

"Extreme how?" Derek asks cautiously. 

"She treats them like shit," Stiles says bluntly. "Like they're _less_ than she is because she's an omega. She teaches them that they're not good for anything if they don't have an omega to tell them what to do; she won't let them work or make decisions about their education by themselves. Stuff like that."

Derek frowns. "Was Alec like that?" 

"No," Stiles says, a fond look in his eye. "Not at all. He got away from her after we mated."

"What was he like?" Derek asks hesitantly; he's rarely heard Stiles talk about his mate. 

Stiles smiles as they head through the door to their apartment. "He was great," he says. "Loved Cass so much. And Peanut. He was over the moon when he found out I was pregnant again. And he worked really hard to break away from everything his mom had taught him about who he was. He went to school the first year we were mated, got his degree so that he could do a job he loved and earn enough money to keep us all going." He laughs. "Violet nearly had a stroke."

Derek can't help but smile. "Did you love him?"

"I did," Stiles says, and Derek can hear it in his voice, along with the pain of Alec's loss. "We weren't perfect by any means, but I loved him a lot. He was a great friend."

"So it was more a mating of convenience between friends?" Derek asks. "A way to help you both out?"

"Pretty much," Stiles says. "Alec was aromantic, and there was something there on my part at the beginning, but it's not always necessary, y'know? He loved me in his own way and I learned to love him the way he needed. We were happy."

"I suppose that's what's important," Derek says thoughtfully. "And he loved your kids, which is another important thing. What was he like after he got away from Violet?"

"A lot freer, a lot happier. He looked like a weight had been lifted, y'know? And I guess it had. Violet is a nightmare, and as soon as he was mated to me, she couldn't touch him anymore." Stiles shakes his head. "That's a big part of why I want to do everything in my power to keep her away from Cass and Peanut. If either of them present as an alpha--"

"She'll try to break them," Derek finishes, feeling almost like he's going to be sick. 

"Right?" Stiles' mouth pulls down at the corners. "The way she makes them act, like they're all meek and subservient, the opposite of everything an alpha _is_. It's disgusting."

Derek barely manages to cover a flinch as he pulls away from Stiles, heading for the refrigerator to get sandwich fixings together. "Right," he says. "Totally unnatural."

"I'd hate that for Cass," Stiles goes on. "To be raised be someone who teaches her that she has to act like that, like she's _less_ than she is." He hesitates. "That's why I'm so glad she's got you."

"She's not going to have me forever, though, is she?" Derek asks, still not looking at Stiles. "When this is all sorted, we'll go our separate ways; at least, separate enough that I won't be in her life every single day."

Stiles is glad Derek can't see the way he physically recoils from that statement. "Right," he says. "Of course."

* * *

Things between Stiles and Derek get even worse after that, but even so, Stiles doesn't even think when someone knocks on the door while he's in the shower a couple of weeks later. "Come in!"

Derek pushes the door open, and the first thing he sees is Stiles - _all_ of Stiles. His shower is a shower/tub combo, and the showerhead is in the far corner. There's no curtain, but rather a glass wall, which does exactly nothing to hide anything from view. " _Shit!_ " he yelps, backpedaling hastily; he doesn't exactly make it out the door, but rather runs into the doorframe.

Stiles doesn't even attempt to cover up; Derek's already seen everything, and he's never been shy about his body, especially while he's pregnant. Besides, seeing Derek freak out is actually kind of funny. "Did you want something?" he asks.

"I - er, my toothpaste," Derek blurts, flushing hotly and doing his best to avoid looking at Stiles. "Sorry, I didn't realize - " 

"Derek," Stiles cuts him off, half-laughing. "It's fine. Just open your eyes, get what you need and go. If you keep walking into shit you're gonna break something."

"Right, yeah," Derek mutters, cracking his eyes open just long enough to grab his toothpaste and dart from the room, Stiles's laughter ringing in his ears, making his chest tight - he wanted to hear that laugh more often, wanted to be the one to cause it, but it wasn't his place, would never be his place. 

Stiles comes out of the bathroom ten minutes later, shirtless with sweatpants riding low beneath his sizeable stomach, and doesn't hesitate to seek Derek out. He's in his room with the door slightly ajar so he can listen out for Cassidy, who's playing in the living room, and Stiles knocks on the doorframe but doesn't enter. "Hey," he says softly. "I'm sorry about before, I didn't mean to make you uncomfortable."

Derek hesitates for a moment before coming to open the door - which, in hindsight, was probably not the smartest move. His attention is immediately caught by Stiles's baby bump - which, by now, is more like one of those really crappy speed bumps with big dips on either side - and he's swept up in a wave of longing that takes him a moment to throttle back. It actually takes real effort to look away, to look up and meet Stiles's gaze, and he shrugs. "I should've remembered which way the shower faces," he says. "It's not your fault." 

Stiles offers him a hopeful smile. "Can we call a truce?" he asks. "I'm not sure what's going on, but I miss you. And I know Cass has noticed that things aren't right between us."

Derek gets hit with a flash of guilt, and he nods. "Yeah; truce," he says, returning Stiles's smile with a tentative one of his own. "It's nothing you did, it's just - me and my instincts. Getting all mixed up."

"What do you mean?" Stiles asks, searching Derek's face. "Mixed up about what?"

Derek shrugs again. "This whole situation. It's fine, though; I'll get it under control."

Stiles frowns. "I don't understand."

Derek shakes his head. "You don't have to; it's alpha stuff. I probably couldn't explain it if I tried." 

Stiles gets the feeling that that isn't the whole truth, but he probably shouldn't push it. He's got his truce, and that's enough. "Okay," he says. "I guess I'll leave you to it."

"Thanks," Derek says; when Stiles turns away, Derek carefully shuts the door, and then rests his forehead against the wood, eyes screwed shut.

Not for the first time, Derek wonders what the hell he's gotten himself into.

* * *

Over the next few days, things go almost back to normal, but even Cassidy can tell that something's going on between her Mommy and Uncle Derek. They don't touch as much as they used to, and while Uncle Derek still plays with her, it seems like he's avoiding Mommy. When Uncle Derek leaves the apartment for a meeting one day, Cassidy manages to pester Mommy into playing Snakes and Ladders with her. Cassidy waits until they're several turns into the game before she asks, "Is Uncle Derek okay?"

Stiles fumbles the dice and rolls a one. "He's fine, sweetie," he says. "What makes you ask that?"

Cassidy shrugs as she rolls the dice for her turn. "Because he doesn't touch you as much as he used to. Did you make him mad?"

Stiles rolls again but hesitates with his hand over his counter. "I-- I don't know," he admits. "I don't think so. I think he's just working through some stuff."

"You should talk to him about his stuff," Cassidy suggests. "You talk to me about my stuff."

"I know I do," Stiles says, smiling. "But I don't think Uncle Derek wants to talk about his stuff."

That isn't a satisfactory answer, as far as the beta is concerned. "But he's your friend, right?" she presses. "You gotta make sure you talk to your friends, that's what Mrs. Maya says." 

"And she's right," Stiles agrees, "but sometimes if your friends don't want to talk, you shouldn't make them. If Derek wanted to talk to me, I'm sure he would."

Cassidy mulls that over for a few long minutes as she and her mom go through a couple more turns. "What if he's scared to?" she asks. 

Stiles' jaw drops. "What?"

"What if he's scared?" Cassidy repeats. "Like when I'm scared to tell you I broke something, 'cause you might get mad." 

Stiles sighs and takes his turn. "Maybe you're right," he says. "I'll think about it, okay?"

"Okay," Cassidy says brightly, happy with that promise. "Oh, you landed on a snake!" 

Stiles laughs and lets their game continue for a few more minutes, warring with himself. At last, though, he takes the dice from Cassidy and hesitates, fiddling with it. "Cass?" he asks carefully. "You know I love you, right? And that your dad loves you, even though he's gone?"

"I love you, too," Cassidy says, giving Stiles a smile. "I know Daddy loves me, too, even though he can't say it anymore."

"And Uncle Derek loves you," Stiles goes on. "Very, very much. We would never want to do anything that might hurt you."

"I know," Cassidy says. "Uncle Derek tells me he loves me every day."

Stiles blinks at her. "He does?"

The beta nods. "Yeah, he does."

"I'm glad," Stiles says, reaching out to tuck a stray curl behind her ear. "I'm really glad that you guys are so close. I worried that you'd find it hard to be around another alpha."

Cassidy shrugs. "Uncle Derek is really different from Daddy," she tells Stiles. "But I like him."

Stiles smiles at her. "I'm so proud of you," he says softly. "You've been so strong."

Cassidy frowns in confusion, her brow furrowing. "Strong?" 

"I know you must miss Daddy," Stiles says. "I miss him, too." He takes Cass' little hand in both of his and raises it to his lips. "But you've been so brave."

Cassidy giggles when Stiles places a kiss on her palm. "I do miss Daddy," she says, but it's more matter of fact than anything. "But we've got Uncle Derek, right Mommy? So we don't have to be so sad about Daddy." 

"Daddy will always be a part of our family," Stiles promises, "but yeah. I think there's room for Uncle Derek too."

* * *

Derek notices Stiles giving him odd looks that night, but when they don't continue the next day, Derek tries to put it out of his mind. Unfortunately, that's a bit hard to do when Stiles starts avoiding him. Derek doesn't think it's on purpose; Stiles just seems caught up in his own thoughts. 

Still, Derek doesn't do anything until after Cassidy tells him that he shouldn't be scared of telling Stiles about his stuff - "Mommy might be a little mad, but he's always glad when I tell him stuff." That night, Derek decides to push, just a little, about what's bothering Stiles.

"So," Derek starts, once Cass is tucked into bed, "you've been quiet. Is everything okay?" 

Stiles tenses, but only fractionally. "Yeah," he says. "Just a lot on my mind."

"You wanna talk about it?"

Stiles sighs, thinks about what Cass said the other night, but can't bring himself to take her advice. "I think I'm good," he says, "but thanks."

"Are you sure?" Derek presses. "You've been avoiding me." 

"Oh you noticed that, did you?" Stiles asks before he can stop himself.

Derek frowns. "Yeah, it's kind of obvious; even Cass picked up on it." 

Stiles shakes his head, looks away. "Forget it," he says. "I don't want to talk about it."

"Stiles, please," Derek says, stepping back into Stiles's line of sight. "We can't keep doing this, avoiding each other thing if we want our plan to work. We need to talk to each other." 

Stiles' stomach roils. "Well, maybe we shouldn't go through with that plan," he says stiffly. "I can fight Violet by myself."

"Stiles, _please,_ what's going on?" Derek says, going so far as to reach out and lay a hand on Stiles's shoulder. 

Stiles shrugs him off almost violently. "I just can't do it anymore."

"Do what?" Derek demands, starting to get angry now.

"Lie about our relationship!"

"You didn't have a problem with it before!" Derek says. "So what's changed, Stiles?"

"I'm falling for you!" Stiles cries, his eyes wild. "And the last time that happened, you broke my heart!"

Everything in Derek goes still. "What are you talking about?"

"You know full well what I'm talking about," Stiles says, and all of a sudden he's _exhausted_. "Do you think I wanted to come here? To be dependent on you, to let my kid know you, to get to know you myself all over again, knowing the whole time that as soon as you weren't obligated to give a shit anymore you'd wash your hands of us? But I didn't have a choice, and I thought I could handle it, thought I could keep my distance and get Violet off my back and get out, before you had time to break my kid's heart, too. But you got under my skin, again, and our scents are everywhere all mixed together, and you tell Cass that you love her _every day_ and I know that you mean it. But I also know that you meant it when you said that you wouldn't be in our lives forever, and you've abandoned me once before, Derek. I can't do that again, not to Cassidy, and not to myself."

Derek's scrambling to keep up, to make sense of what Stiles is saying. "Wait, you mean - you were _serious?_ " he demands. "Back before college, you were serious when you - "

"What, when I said that I wanted to be with you?" Stiles spits, hurt blazing in his eyes. "Yes, Derek, I was serious. And you looked at me like I _repulsed_ you, and then you left and you never came back."

"Because I thought you just wanted a fuck!" Derek protests. "Because that's all Kate wanted, and when I found out and kicked her out of my life, she fucking _burnt my house down with my mother inside!_ I mean, I didn't think you'd react that badly, but I didn't want some fling, and I sure as hell didn't want it with an omega when an omega was the one who had ruined my life not even two years before!"

Stiles flinches back like he's been struck. "So that's what your problem is," he says. "It's because I'm an omega." He blinks against the sting of tears in his eyes and squares his shoulders. "I'm not Kate, Derek. Kate was sick and deranged, and that had nothing to do with her status as an omega. Don't _insult_ me, or the children my being an omega has allowed me to carry, by suggesting otherwise."

"No, that's not what I meant," Derek says, frustrated. "I meant - You didn't know me, before Kate. I wasn't like the other alphas - I wasn't aggressive, I didn't get into pissing contests, I wasn't territorial over _anything_ , but I still presented as an alpha. Kate pretended to get that, pretended to get _me_ , just to get me to sleep with her - and when I figured out her game, she destroyed my home and killed the only family I had. That'd fuck anyone up, and I was _sixteen_ when it happened; it's not a surprise that I'd have issues with omegas then! And you never really gave any indication that you actually wanted anything other than sex - you _propositioned_ me, you didn't ask me out! I mean, at the time, I was still too fucked up to have accepted, but if I'd known you were serious I wouldn't have been so harsh and cut you off the way I did."

Stiles balls his hands into fists when he realises they're shaking. "Derek, I asked you to be my _first_ ," he says quietly.

"You asked me to help you through a heat," Derek snaps. "You didn't say anything about what would happen before or after."

"You didn't give me time!" Stiles protests. He looks wrecked. "And I was scared! Whether you felt like one or not, you were _acting_ like a stereotypical alpha, and everyone knew at that age that alphas only wanted one thing from omegas."

Derek actually bares his teeth at that. "And that's the impression you got from me, after a year and a half living with _Melissa?_ That I'd disrespect omegas _that_ much?" 

"What do you want me to say?" Stiles cries. "I was seventeen, Derek! We're _taught_ to be wary of alphas at that age, and you-- you were an _asshole_ back then, to everyone!" He sighs, looks away. "I'm sorry that I misjudged you, that I wasn't fair. But we're arguing about this ten years too late, and it all amounts to the same thing, anyway. I'm already looking for another job and my dad said he could help out with rent for a couple months, so we'll be out of your hair as soon as possible."

Derek takes a step back, blinking. "You're leaving?"

Stiles nods. "I think it's for the best."

It takes Derek several moments - and several deep breaths - to reply. "If you think so," he says quietly, ignoring the ache in his chest; if Stiles wants to leave, Derek has no right to keep him here.

"Don't look at me like that," Stiles begs. "Tell me what else I'm supposed to do, Derek. Cassidy adores you, she wants you to be a part of our family. The longer I keep her here, thinking that you _are_ , the more it's going to hurt her when you make us leave."

Derek swallows, and then asks quietly, without looking up, "What if I didn't want to make you leave?"

Stiles' heart stutters in his chest. "What?"

"What if I didn't want you to leave?" Derek repeats, looking to meet Stiles's gaze. "You're not the only one feeling things he probably shouldn't."

"Derek," Stiles says, looking at Derek with barely-concealed hope in his eyes. "Please don't play games with me."

Derek shakes his head. "I wouldn't do that, not with everything - with Cassidy."

"Then be honest," Stiles pleads. "Tell me what you want."

"I want you," Derek confesses quietly after a long silence. "I want you, and Cassidy, and Peanut - I want there to be an _us_ that isn't just because you're fighting to keep your family together and away from your in-laws."

Stiles takes a breath, his heart pounding. "I want that, too," he says. "God, Derek, I want that so much."

"So, does that mean... I mean, I know it won't be easy, because even after ten years, I've gotten better, but I still have issues, but... I want to try," Derek says, the words escaping him in a rush. 

Stiles nods, closing the distance between them so that he can take Derek's hand. "I want to try, too," he murmurs. "But we can't go into this blind. If you still have a problem with the fact that I'm an omega..."

Derek glances down at their joined hands, interlocking his fingers with Stiles's. "I don't have a problem with you being an omega," he says slowly, trying to figure out how best to say what he needs to. "I've... had problems with being around omegas in the past. I'm not like the usual alpha, I don't like pretending. But I've had omegas try to take advantage of me being myself, though not as much as Kate did."

Stiles uses his hold on Derek to pull him down onto the sofa, sticking close once their both seated, their thighs pressed together. "I'd never take advantage of you," he says. "And I don't want you to pretend. So what if you're not as aggressive and territorial as other alphas? They're not exactly desirable qualities anyway."

"I know you wouldn't," Derek says, smiling slightly; it's the truth, he knows that Stiles wouldn't take advantage of the fact that Derek is more submissive than most alphas. "But I've been doing this for a decade now, and I don't know how easy it'll be for me to stop."

"Doing what?" Stiles asks.

Derek shrugs. "Pretending to be the alpha everyone expects."

"So what's the difference?" Stiles asks, gentle and curious. "Between you and the alpha people want you to be?"

"Not too different from how I act with Cass," Derek says. "When I go out, I have to carry myself differently, I have to talk differently, because everyone expects me to be loud and brash. But the real me... " Here, Derek hesitates, but then admits, "The real me is more like what Violet forces her children to be." 

Stiles sucks in a sharp breath, but there's no disgust on his face, just sudden understanding. "That's why you freaked out when I was talking about it," he says. "Because I said it was unnatural."

"Yeah," Derek says softly. "It's not exactly an uncommon opinion." 

"But it's not one that I have," Stiles tells him, "at least not in the way that you're thinking. It's unnatural because they _are_ typical alphas, and Violet is punishing them for that by making them act the opposite."

"You're sure?" Derek asks, feeling more vulnerable than he has in years. 

Stiles squeezes Derek's hand, pulls it into his lap. "Derek, nothing about you is unnatural."

That's the first time Derek's heard those words in twelve years; he thinks he can't be blamed for the tears that well up. "I - thank you," he says, voice choked. 

Stiles sighs softly and pulls Derek into a hug. "I'm not gonna walk away from you because of this, okay? If you want to stay at home and bake cookies and look after the kids and let _me_ look after _you_ , that's fine. You're fine. Whatever you need."

Derek relaxes into Stiles's hold, taking the comfort offered. "Okay," he whispers. "I'd like that." 

Stiles presses a tender kiss to Derek's temple, rubs his back. "Why don't we take things slow? Figure out how we want this to work, ease into the big stuff." He hesitates. "We need to think about Cass, too."

Derek nods, but makes no move to sit up. "She already likes me, so that's one obstacle down," he says thoughtfully. 

Stiles nods. "She's smart, but she's too young to understand the difference between what I had with Alec and what I want with you. I don't want her to think that I'm replacing her dad."

"That's a good point," Derek says thoughtfully. "Maybe one of us should speak to her before we actually tell her?"

"I should probably do it," Stiles says. "Right? It should come from me."

"Or we could tell her together," Derek suggests. "Or play it by ear."

"Together," Stiles breathes, and he really likes the sound of that. "We'll do it together."

"Together," Derek agrees.

* * *

They don't take their time about it; they spend most of the day trying to decide how to broach the topic, and then when she gets home from the childminder's that evening, they sit Cassidy down and prepare to tell her everything.

"Why are you guys holding hands?" Cass asks before either of them can get a word out, and Stiles guiltily pulls his hand out of Derek's grip.

"Cass, remember how I told you that Uncle Derek and I love you very much, and that we'd never want to hurt you?"

Cassidy nods. "Uh-huh."

Stiles glances at Derek. "Well, we have something we want to talk about with you, is that okay?"

Cassidy looks interested, and if she was older she might have said 'This should be good', but as it is all she says is a dutiful, "Yes, Mommy."

Derek takes the next bit. "Cass, you know that your mommy wouldn't try to replace your dad, right?" 

Cass frowns. "How could he? Daddy was Daddy."

"He was," Stiles agrees, "and he was amazing. We won't ever forget him, and we'll always love him, won't we?"

Cassidy nods. "Just like he'll always love us."

Stiles smiles. "Of course he will." He takes a breath. "Baby, after someone goes away like Daddy did, it's normal to be really sad, sometimes for a long time. And I'm still sad about your dad, just like you are, but sometimes someone comes along, and they help you to smile through the sad."

"Like Uncle Derek makes you smile?"

"Like I make Mommy smile," Derek agrees. "Sweetheart, what we're trying to say is that we're not trying to replace your Daddy, but your mom and I are going to try being together. Sort of like how your mom and dad were together."

Cassidy's eyes are wide, and she turns her gaze on Stiles first. "Does that mean you love Uncle Derek?" she asks.

Stiles glances at Derek, but can't lie. "Yes," he says, "it does."

"More than you love Daddy?"

"No," Stiles says, and again it's the truth. "Your dad meant the world to me, Cassidy. But there's room in my heart for Derek, too."

Apparently satisfied with that answer, Cassidy turns to Derek. "Are you gonna be Mommy's mate?"

"I might," Derek says. "We only just decided to try this, so we can't make a decision on that, yet. We need to spend some more time together before we can make that decision."

"If you do," Cassidy asks, "will I have to call you Daddy?"

"Not if you don't want to," Derek reassures her. "It's okay if you want to keep calling me Uncle Derek, or something else."

"What about Peanut? He won't even remember Daddy."

"But we'll make sure he knows him," Stiles promises. "We'll tell Peanut all about Daddy all the time, so he'll feel like he remembers. He can call Derek what he wants, but Cass, Peanut will know it was Daddy who gave him to us."

Cass nods, thinking this over. After a moment she turns back to Derek and gives him a big grin. "I love you, Uncle Derek. I'm glad you make Mommy smile."

Derek grins, moving in to pull Cass into a hug. "I love you, too, sweetheart." 

* * *

They all spend a little time together after that, and then Stiles and Derek tuck Cass into bed, each giving her a goodnight kiss before backing carefully out of the room. She's out before they've closed the door.

It's past Cassidy's usual bedtime, late enough that Stiles is feeling the ache in his lower back more keenly than he was even an hour ago, and normally he'd call it a night. But Derek is looking at him with his gorgeous, soft eyes, and he can't bring himself to look away. "I guess this is the part where I invite myself into your bed," he says, his voice light. "But Peanut likes to kick the shit out of my kidneys in the middle of the night, and I'd just keep you awake with my tossing and turning."

Derek shrugs. "Maybe he'll be quiet if he's got company," he suggests carefully. 

Stiles smiles. "You willing to take that risk?" he asks.

Derek smiles reaching out to take Stiles's hand in his, twining their fingers together. "Yeah, I am." 

Stiles squeezes, drawing closer to Derek, but he can't help glancing back toward the other bedroom's door. "Do you think she'll be okay?"

Derek nods. "She's right across the hall; if she cries, we'll hear her, and we'll leave the door open so she can find us easily if she needs to."

Stiles sighs, and turns back to smile at Derek. "Okay," he says. "Then I guess I'm all yours."

Derek smiles back. "I guess you are," he agrees, opening the bedroom door behind him and pulling Stiles through.

* * *

Two days later and Cassidy is back with the childminder, earning them a few precious hours of peace. When Stiles gets home and finds Derek on the sofa, he doesn't hesitate to go to him, fitting himself under Derek's arm and against his side with an ease that should be born of months of a relationship, rather than a few days. "So Cass asked me an interesting question when I dropped her off just now."

Derek pulls Stiles in closer without letting go of the book in his other hand. "Oh?" he asks, glancing at Stiles.

"She wants to know why we don't kiss."

That throws Derek for a loop, and he carefully folds the corner of the page down before putting the book on the coffee table. "She does?"

Stiles' lips turn up in amusement. "Mommies and daddies kiss, apparently. But I told her that they don't always have to."

"Did you and Alec?" Derek finds himself asking almost without thought.

"Yeah," Stiles answers, without embarrassment or awkwardness. "We didn't, like, make out or anything, except when we were, y'know. But we used to peck each other on the cheek or the mouth all the time. It was mostly habit, but also, it was just nice."

Derek nods slowly, thinking hard. "Do you want to kiss me?"

Stiles shrugs. "I'm happy to wait, if you don't."

"I want to," Derek says, the tips of his ears going hot. "I just wasn't sure if you wanted to, since it's still soon after Alec."

"It is soon," Stiles agrees. "But he'd want me to be happy."

Derek nods and licks his lips, nervous. "So..."

Stiles smiles, cups Derek's cheek. "So," he murmurs, and kisses him.

Derek hums into the kiss, leaning forward to mirror Stiles's gesture, his own hand cupping the omega's cheek as he returns the kiss. It's relatively short and chaste, and when they pull apart, Derek finds that he's smiling as well. "So," he says, unable to find other words.

Stiles laughs softly, kisses Derek again. "I think that was pretty good, don't you?"

"Yeah," Derek agrees, leaning in for one more, "I think that was. But practice makes perfect, you know."

Stiles curls his arm around Derek's neck, pulling him closer. "So I've heard."

The corner of Derek's lip quirks up. "Well, let's put it to the test then," he suggests.

* * *

And they do, many times over the next few weeks. Cassidy is mercifully quick to adjust to sleeping alone, so Stiles moves into Derek's bedroom early on and they've learned that Peanut really does quiet down as soon as Derek curls up behind Stiles and wraps an arm around his stomach. But for all that they've often been known to lose an hour or two, alternately trading slow, drugging kisses and necking like horny teenagers, they haven't done anything besides kiss. Stiles isn't complaining, he's heavily pregnant and while his sex drive is through the roof he's not entirely sure how much he could manage, but he does wonder. Is Derek just not ready yet? Will he ever be? He'd said he was more submissive than most alphas; does that extend to the bedroom? In what way?

He tries not to dwell on it, though. There'll be plenty of time to talk about it later, when they're more settled in their relationship and Stiles doesn't look like a beached whale.

Derek, however, has been thinking about it as well; he loves kissing Stiles - is pretty sure that he's well on his way to loving _Stiles_ , period - and he thinks he wants to take their relationship one step further. He doesn't want to go too far, wants to take this slow, since none of his experiences with sex until now have been terribly 'good,' but he wants to at least test the waters, so to speak. It takes a few days after he comes to terms with his desire to actually broach the subject; they're laying in bed in their usual position, hovering in that in-between space of not quite awake, but not quite asleep, either, when he finally says something. "Hey, Stiles?"

Stiles hums, yawns. "Yeah?"

Derek hesitates for a moment, then says, "I've been... thinking."

Stiles senses Derek's discomfort and wriggles closer, one hand coming to rest on Derek's chest. "About what?"

"About..." Derek is suddenly glad for the darkness of the room; he doesn't think he could do this in the light. "About maybe doing more than just kissing."

Stiles tries to ignore the way his heart is suddenly trying to beat out of his chest. "Okay," he says evenly, his hand moving in soothing circles. "What kind of more?"

"Not a lot more," Derek hastens to say. "Just... I don't know, maybe a bit less clothing? Maybe some touching? I don't want to do much, but I do want a little more than just kisses."

Stiles smiles against Derek's shoulder, starts to slide his hand down his chest. "You want me to touch you, Derek?"

Derek's heart has started beating faster - not in a bad way, though. He's nervous, yes, but mostly excited; he trusts Stiles, and trusts that if he says to stop, Stiles will listen. He nods, swallowing, his free hand clenching and unclenching before he says, "I want to touch you, too."

"You can," Stiles murmurs, his fingers skating along Derek's abs. "You can touch me however you want. I just want you to feel good."

"Want to make you feel good, too," Derek says, letting his hand come up to run over Stiles's chest, fingers brushing over one of his nipples curiously.

Stiles hisses, moans, jerks against Derek. "Sensitive," he sighs. "Gently."

"Sorry," Derek apologizes, though he doesn't sound all that apologetic; on the contrary, he sounds fascinated as he repeats the movement, though he makes sure to do it lighter this time.

Stiles shudders at the second touch and then goes lax, moaning softly as his fingers curl reflexively against Derek's waistband. "Oh, that's-- that's really good."

"Yeah?" Derek asks, circling his thumb over the spot again.

"Fuck," Stiles gasps, his hips jerking. "Oh, fuck, _Derek_."

Derek gives Stiles a brief respite, but that's only so he can reach down and tug at the hem of Stiles's tank top questioningly.

Stiles nods, sits up so that Derek can lift it over his head. It wasn't covering much anyway, but now his breasts spill free, his nipples hard with want. "You too," he murmurs, reaching for Derek.

"Okay," Derek says quietly, mirroring Stiles's earlier movement and helping the omega lift off his shirt. He takes a moment to just look at Stiles, slightly in awe. "You're beautiful," he murmurs, reaching out to pull Stiles in for a kiss.

Stiles laughs against Derek's mouth, keeps him close when they break apart, humming his appreciation of the feeling of Derek's skin against his own. "So are you," he says, his hand on Derek's abs again. "So gorgeous."

Derek takes the hand on his abs, moving it around to the side. "I don't like people touching me there," he explains, a bit shy. "Kate - she had a fascination with my stomach." 

"Shit," Stiles breathes, "okay." He presses a kiss to Derek's neck in apology, grips his hip instead. "Is this better?"

Derek nods. "Yeah; much better." He returns his attention to Stiles and, specifically, Stiles's chest. He's never seen a shirtless pregnant omega before, and he's fascinated. Stiles's breasts aren't as heavy as a female omega's would be, but they're bigger than the average male's. The alpha reaches out, resting one hand on Stiles's chest, fingers splayed. "Wow," he murmurs. "Did they get like this when you were pregnant with Cass?" 

Stiles nods, his eyes fluttering at Derek's touch. "A lot more tender then, though," he answers. "I guess I'm kinda used to it now."

"Yeah?" Derek asks, letting his thumb brush over one nipple. "Still sensitive, though."

Stiles can't hold back the noise he makes, and he doesn't want to. "You're enjoying this," he says, smiling.

"A little," Derek admits, his lips twitching into an answering smile. "I've never been with a pregnant omega before; this is all new territory for me."

Stiles laughs softly. "Well, feel free to explore. I'm all yours."

"All mine, huh?" Derek asks with a smirk. 

"Yeah," Stiles murmurs, leaning in to kiss that smirk right off of Derek's face. "Yours."

* * *

They don't go very far - Derek knows that he's nowhere near ready for anything more than what they do - but they do end up completely clothes-less for the first time, and spend quite some time just exploring each other's bodies. Derek finds that he loves it when Stiles pays attention to his neck and hips, and that Stiles really likes it when Derek plays with his nipples, and Derek develops a fascination for Stiles's stomach, gently tracing the stretchmarks from pregnancy and smiling when Peanut gives a sleepy kick.

Their hands wander, as do their mouths - though not as far as the hands - and for the first time in a long while, Derek lets himself go, lets himself trust someone enough to see everything he is and has. And with Stiles, it's better than Derek could have ever imagined.

* * *

Their brief moment of bliss doesn't last, though. Stiles is struck down with the mother of all migraines the next morning, and spends much of the day laid up in Derek's bed, the curtains drawn and an ice pack pressed to his forehead. Cassidy tries to come in to see him at some point, but he can do very little but groan until she goes away.

The door doesn't open again for several hours, and when it does the soft electric light spilling in from the hall tells Stiles that night has fallen. "Nngh," he moans, closing his eyes again. "Is Cass okay?"

"Worried about you," Derek says, his own expression telling Stiles that she isn't the only one. "How you doing?" 

Stiles flops a hand over the side of the bed, reaching for Derek. "I feel like my eyeballs are melting," he says. "But that's actually kind of an improvement."

Derek takes the offered hand, sitting on the edge of the bed. "Are migraines common for you?" he asks, concerned. 

"No," Stiles sighs, pressing his free hand to his forehead. "I've had them once or twice, but never this bad."

Derek's brow creases, and he gives Stiles's hand a squeeze. "Cass is in bed, now; you want some company?" 

"Please," Stiles sighs, wiggling over so that there's room for Derek on the bed beside him. "I could use a cuddle-- Ah!"

"Stiles?" Derek asks, alarmed. "Stiles, what's wrong?" 

"Nothing," Stiles says, waving away Derek's concerns even as he clutches his stomach. "Nothing, it's been happening on and off all day. It'll pass."

"What, stomach pain?" Derek asks, worry spiking. "Stiles, you're too close to your due date to wave anything off as 'nothing'!"

"Well, I'm not in labour," Stiles points out. "I know that much. Aches and pains are normal, especially this late in the game." He squeezes Derek's hand. "I'm fine, Derek, I swear."

Derek isn't satisfied, though. "Did you have migraines like this with Cass?" he demands. "That last stomach pain looked like it really hurt, Stiles."

"It did," Stiles says, "and I don't know, Derek, it was a long time ago, you can't expect me to remember every little--" The grip he has on Derek's hand suddenly tightens until it's painful. "Oh my _God!_ "

"Okay, that's it," Derek decides. "We're going to the hospital. Now."

"Derek, no!"

"Derek, yes," the alpha counters. "Stiles, you're in serious pain right now, and with it being so close to the end of your pregnancy, we shouldn't take any chances. I'll grab Cass, and we'll go down to the Jeep and head to the hospital; it's only a few minutes away."

"Derek," Stiles says, hissing as his another pain shoots through him. "Derek, I don't know if I can walk."

That's when panic starts to set in. Derek throttles it back ruthlessly, because if he panics, it won't do anyone any good. "Let me get Cass up, okay?" he says. "I'll be right back." With a kiss pressed gently to Stiles's forehead, Derek darts down the hall to what's become Cassidy's room.

Perhaps as a testament to how comfortable she is in Derek's home, Cassidy doesn't stir until Derek actually touches her shoulder and gives her a little shake. Even then, all she does is roll over and give him a sleepy smile. "Derek? S'it morning?"

"It's not morning yet, baby," Derek says quietly, "but I need you to get up. We're going to take a little trip with Mommy, okay?"

Cassidy struggles to sit up, blinking sleep from her eyes. "Where we goin'?"

"Mommy's not feeling well, so we have to go to the doctor's," Derek explains, helping Cassidy get pants and socks on. "Can you be good for me? Mommy can't walk very well right now, so I have to help him, so I want you to walk on my other side, okay?"

”Okay,” Cassidy agrees. “Is Mommy going to be okay?”

And Derek can't lie to Cass, not if things go downhill. "We're going to do everything we can to make sure he will be," he says instead.

When Derek returns to the bedroom, Stiles is curled on his side, clutching his stomach and trying hard not to cry out. "Derek, I don't know what's happening," he gasps. "The baby--"

"I'm here," Derek says, rushing over to Stiles's side and helping the omega to sit up. "I'm here, I'm going to help you, we just need to get to the car, okay?"

Stiles nods, leaning heavily on Derek as he gets to his feet. "Cass?"

"She's waiting in the living room," Derek says reassuringly. "She's gonna follow us down to the car."

Stiles strangles a pathetic whimper before it can get past his lips. "I don't want her to see me like this."

"I know," Derek says, rubbing a hand across Stiles's shoulders and down his back; he wouldn't want his kid to see him in such obvious pain, either. "Come on, we'll take the elevator down, okay? You can lean against me the whole way down." 

Stiles nods, forcing his expression into something resembling composure as they head out into the hall. Cass looks terrified when he sees her, and he tries to smile for her. "Hey, baby. I'm okay, I promise."

"I know, Mommy," Cass says, but she doesn't sound convinced.

"Mommy will feel a lot better when we get to the hospital," Derek promises. "We just need to get to the car; can you get the door for us, sweetheart?"

Cassidy does as she's bid, and by the time they reach the elevator, Stiles is sweating with the effort. Cass presses the right button without being told, and hovers beside Derek, her silence the only indication of how worried she is.

Stiles isn't sure if he loses consciousness when they get to the car or if he just loses himself to the pain, but the next thing he knows, they're at the hospital. There are bright lights everywhere, and while Derek tries to stay at his side, the doctors recognize the symptoms quickly, and Stiles is whisked away from him, leaving the alpha alone to comfort Cassidy, who's a bit frightened by all of the fuss. "It's all right," Derek murmurs, taking Cassidy with him as he moves to the waiting room he's been directed to. "Mommy's going to be okay." _He hopes._

* * *

It's almost an hour and a half, and Cassidy has drifted off to a fitful slumber when a doctor emerges, gesturing for Derek to follow her; he recognizes her as one of the doctors they've seen about prenatal care, Dr. Branwell. "I won't mince words," she says immediately. "He's lucky you got him in when you did; any longer, and he would have been having seizures. He's developed eclampsia; uncommon for a patient to skip preeclampsia, but not unheard of. Luckily, he only experienced migraines and abdominal pain so far, and we have him sedated and drugged right now; we're hoping to prevent any seizures."

Derek pales. "Seizures?"

Dr. Branwell, her expression sympathetic. "Seizures. If eclampsia progresses far enough, it can lead to seizures, putting the lives of both mother and child at risk; unfortunately, male omegas are at a higher risk for eclampsia and preeclampsia; Mr. Stilinski got lucky with his last pregnancy, and unlucky with this one. Though not as unlucky as he could have been, thanks to you."

While Derek is taking all of this in, the doctor opens a door, revealing Stiles on a hospital bed, in one of those backless gowns, hooked up to several machines as well as an IV drip. "Is he going to be okay?" Derek asks, worried.

"We believe so; the baby is close enough to term that we've scheduled him for a c-section tomorrow; once the baby is born, all risk of seizures passes. We'll be keeping a very close eye on him for tonight, and you have my word that I will be personally checking in on him regularly," the doctor says, laying a hand on Derek's shoulder. "Right now, you should go home and rest, and make sure you have a babysitter for Cassidy for tomorrow; it's going to be a long day, and Stiles is going to need you at your best."

Derek glances from Stiles to Dr. Branwell, expression uncertain. "I don't want to leave him," he says, and if he weren't so worried right now, he would hate how tiny his voice sounds.

Dr. Branwell though, just nods. "I understand. But unfortunately, I can't let you stay the night. You can come tomorrow morning at eight; his operation is scheduled for ten."

With one last glance at Stiles, who is still sleeping almost peacefully, Derek nods. "Okay. I'll be here at eight. Let me know if anything happens."

"Of course I will."

* * *

When Derek gets back to the hospital the next day, Stiles is at least awake, and he has some colour back in his cheeks. He even manages a smile when he sees Derek, and reaches out for him with a hand adorned with an IV. "Hey," he says weakly. "I missed you."

"I missed you, too," Derek says, taking Stiles's hand. "How you feeling today? You gave me and Cass a hell of a scare last night."

"Oh, my god," Stiles sighs. "Everything still hurts, but they're giving me the good stuff, so it's not so bad. Is Cass okay? Is she here?"

"She's okay," Derek says. "She's with the babysitter; I asked her to watch Cass until after your surgery." 

Stiles loses what little colour he'd regained. "She's not here?" he asks.

"You're going into a surgery," Derek repeats. "A really big one. I can call the sitter, ask her to bring her over if you want." 

"I know I'm going into surgery," Stiles says. "Derek, I-- What if I don't make it out? I can't not tell her I love her before I go."

"Hey," Derek says, bringing his other hand up to cup Stiles's cheek, thumb gently brushing over his skin. "I believe you'll be fine - you're in good hands. But I'll call the sitter, okay?" 

"Please," Stiles says, nodding. "I need to see her. And call my dad - can you find me a charger or something?"

"You can use my phone," Derek says. "I'll call the sitter, and then you can call your dad, all right?"

"Okay," Stiles says. "Thank you. For everything."

Derek gives Stiles's hand a squeeze. "Of course."

Stiles' dad nearly has a stroke when he tells him, demands to know why he wasn't told sooner, and it takes Stiles almost half an hour to convince him to calm down and that no, he doesn't need to catch the first flight to New York to be with him and Cass. "Derek's got it covered, Dad," Stiles insists, a fond note in his voice.

"And what exactly is going on between you two?" his dad demands. "Don't think I fell for this fake-mating thing for one second."

Stiles laughs, soft and tired. "I'll explain everything after I've had a small human cut from my body," he promises. They hang up not much later, after his dad has extracted a promise from Derek to look after his son and his grandkids, and Stiles gives Derek a tired smile. "Sorry about that," he sighs. "He worries."

"He's your dad," Derek says understandingly. "Of course he worries." 

"Well, he's agreed to stay put for now," Stiles says. "What time is it?"

Derek glances at the clock. "It's nine now; Cass should be here any minute. I'm gonna go to the waiting room to get her, okay?" 

"Okay," Stiles says. "Hurry back."

Derek nods, leaning forward to press a kiss to Stiles's forehead before he leaves; he returns a few minutes later, Cassidy on his hip. "See? I told you Mommy was doing okay," Derek says, giving Cassidy a smile and a squeeze. 

Stiles smiles and opens his arms. "Gonna come for a cuddle, baby?"

Cass hesitates, her little hand fisted in Derek's shirt. "Dunno."

Derek steps forward, settling on the side of Stiles's bed. "You can go cuddle with Mommy," he says reassuringly. "It's okay."

Cassidy lasts all of three seconds before she's pulling out of Derek's arms and climbing over the bed towards Stiles, who scoops her up and settles her close against his side. "I missed you," he murmurs into her hair.

"I missed you, too," Cass says, sniffling a bit. "You're really okay?"

"I will be," Stiles says. "They're gonna get Peanut out soon, and then we'll both be all better."

"How they gonna get Peanut out?" Cass asks, curiously.

"They're gonna do an operation," Stiles says. "I won't be able to feel it, but they're gonna go into my tummy and take him out."

Cass gives Stiles's stomach a worried look. "It won't hurt?"

"No, sweetheart."

Cassidy doesn't look completely reassured, but she accepts Stiles at his word. "And then I'll have a new brother?"

"Yep," Stiles says, grinning. "And you can help name him. Would you like that?"

Cassidy thinks about it for a moment, then nods. "Yeah. I'd like that."

"Oh, good." Stiles cuddles Cassidy closer, and as he does so he spots a nurse hovering awkwardly in the doorway.

"We're gonna have to start prepping for your procedure now, Mr Stilinksi," she says.

Stiles gives her a weak smile and eases back from Cass. "I'll be back before you know it, okay?"

Cassidy nods, letting Derek take her. "I love you, Mommy," she says, giving Stiles a wave.

"I love you too," Stiles promises. "So much, Cassidy." He watches her until Derek has taken her from the room, and only then does he let the nurse have her way with him.

* * *

An hour and a half later, a harried-looking doctor calls Derek's name in the waiting room, and doesn't smile when he stands up. "If you could follow me, Mr Hale," he says. "Maybe your little girl could wait with one of my nurses?"

Derek nods, ushering Cassidy to a waiting nurse. "I just have to go talk with this man, baby," he murmurs reassuringly. "I'll be right back." 

The doctor waits until Cassidy is occupied before pulling Derek to one side. "Mr Hale, I'm sorry to have to tell you that there were some... complications during Stiles' surgery."

"Complications?" Derek asks, worried. "Is Stiles okay? Is Peanut?"

"The baby is fine," the doctor says with a small smile. "You have a son, and I can take you to see him right away. But Stiles lost a lot of blood during the surgery, and we're doing everything we can to make sure he makes a full recovery."

"Shit," Derek swears. "What happened? Did he have a seizure or something, because of the eclampsia?"

"It was always a risk going in," the doctor agrees. "But we did everything we could. I can't make any promises, but things are definitely looking optimistic at this point."

"Shit," Derek says again. "When can we see him? Our daughter - " And Derek, too worried about Stiles at the moment, doesn't even realize how _right_ it feels to call Cassidy that " - she's worried about him, ever since last night."

"Well, he's still sedated and in Recovery right now; it might be a bit scary for her to see him like that, and it's not so urgent that she needs to," the doctor says. "Why don't you take her to see the baby? I'll let you know when we're ready to bring him 'round."

Derek nods. "Thank you. Let me know if anything changes, please - anything."

"I will," the doctor promises. "Go be with your children."

Derek nods, turning back to the waiting room to collect Cassidy. "Hey sweetheart," he says. "The doctor says that Mommy's sleeping, but we can go see your brother."

Cassidy brightens considerably, and reaches out to take Derek's hand. "Okay," she says. "And then can we go see Mommy?"

"When the doctor says it's okay to," Derek agrees. "Come on, up you go," he says, picking Cass up and swinging her onto his hip. 

p>The nurse leads them to the natal ward, takes them right to the incubator with Peanut inside. "Would you like to hold him?" she asks Derek.

Derek swallows nervously, but then nods. "Yeah. I'd like that." 

The next thing Derek knows, he has a tiny, squirmy baby in his arms, and the nurse is watching him with a soft expression. "We weren't sure what to write on his wristband," she says quietly. "Stilinski or Hale?"

"Stilinski," Derek says after a moment. "His last name." He can't take his eyes from Peanut's face, watching in awe as Peanut squints up at him through bright blue eyes. 

The nurse nods, makes a note on her clipboard. "Well, I'll give you a moment alone. If you need anything, just give me a shout, and I'll be back in a few minutes."

"Okay," Derek answers absently, caught up in Peanut. He glances around, finding a nearby chair, and sits in it. "You wanna see your brother, Cass?"

Cassidy is already at his side, peering down into Peanut's face. "He looks funny," she says. "All red and wrinkly."

"All babies look like that," Derek tells her, smiling. "I bet you did, too, when you were just born."

"He's really small," Cass whispers.

"He is," Derek agrees, shifting so that Cass can get a better look. "Remember how Mommy said you could help name him? Do you have any ideas?"

Cass frowns. "Well, Daddy's name was Alec," she says thoughtfully. "So maybe that? Or I like Peter. Or Ben. There's a Ben at my sitter's and he's really nice."

"Maybe Alec for his middle name," Derek says agreeably. "What about... Benjamin?" 

"Benjamin Alec?" Cassidy muses. "I like that!"

"Yeah?" Derek asks with a smile. "We'll have to get Mommy's approval first."

"I'm sure he'll like it," Cassidy says confidently. "I'm named after Mommy's mommy."

"Yeah?" Derek asks, shifting the now-dozing baby in his lap so that he can wrap an arm around Cassidy's shoulders. 

"Uh-huh," Cassidy says, snuggling in. "Her name was Claudia, like my middle name!"

"That's very nice," Derek says - he remembers hearing about the sheriff's wife's death when he was younger. "Have you ever met Mommy's Daddy?"

"Yeah! Mommy and Daddy used to take me to see him every Christmas, and we used to see Uncle Scott and Aunt Melissa, too."

"Yeah? What do you think about your grandad being the sheriff?"

"I think it's really cool," Cassidy gushes. " _I_ want to be the sheriff when I grow up. Or a train driver."

"That's a tough decision," Derek says thoughtfully. "But I'm sure Mommy will be happy with either one."

"Mommy says that as long as I'm happy, he's happy," Cass agrees.

"That's good," Derek says, smiling. 

The door opens then and the nurse reappears at their side, her smile soft and warm. "I think it's time for this little one to get some sleep," she says, meeting Derek's gaze. "The doctor says that your mate is awake, if you're ready."

Derek doesn't bother correcting her; it would just cause confusion. "Yeah; let's go, sweetpea. Mommy's awake." 

"Mommy?" Cass asks, her baby brother momentarily forgotten. The nurse takes Peanut out of Derek's arms so that he can take her hand and lead her out of the ward.

Stiles, when they reach him, looks pale and exhausted, but happy to see them. "Hey," he rasps. "How's it goin'?"

"Better now that we can see you," Derek says, helping Cass onto the bed. "Peanut's doing well." 

"They told me," Stiles says, smiling, but then hisses when Cassidy shifts against him and catches him in just the wrong place. "Easy, sweetheart. They won't let me see him yet, though. Have you been?"

"We just came from there," Derek says with a smile. 

"Oh good," Stiles breathes. "What's he like?"

"Quiet," Derek says. "A little on the heavy side." 

"Kinda weird-lookin'," Cass adds, and Stiles wheezes a laugh.

Derek grins. "How about you?" he asks. "How are you doing?" 

"Little bit of pain," Stiles admits. "Tired. Really tired." He glances at Cassidy. "They said things were a bit touch and go for a while there."

Derek nods. "You seized," he says quietly. "Lost a lot of blood." 

Stiles smiles, reaches for Derek. "That explains why I'm so exhausted," he says. "The doctor did explain it but I couldn't focus. I think I'm a bit stoned."

Derek nods, readily taking Stiles's hand. "They've got you on sedation and pain meds, I think." 

Stiles nods, already drifting. "I think I'm just gonna..."

But before he can finish his sentence, the door opens.

Violet strides in and dismisses Derek, focusing on Cassidy and Stiles. "Hi sweetheart," she says, directing a smile at Cassidy. "Can I get a hug?" 

Stiles' eyes snap open, alert as he can possibly be, and tightens his hold on Cassidy. "Violet," he says flatly. "What are you doing here?"

"I'm here to see my grandchild," she says simply. "Both of them, actually. Would have been nice if someone had told me you'd gone into labor." 

"This isn't a good time," Stiles says, "so I'm sorry, but you'll have to come back another day."

Violet waves a hand dismissively. "Omegas bounce back quickly from birth; I need to speak to you anyway." 

"They don't bounce back quickly from eclampsia," Derek snarls, getting to his feet and placing himself between his - his Stiles and Violet. "He's been out of surgery for barely an hour and a half." 

"Derek," Stiles sighs. "Derek, I'm okay. Will you take Cassidy outside, please?"

Derek gives Violet one last glare for good measure before he complies, taking Cassidy, who's wide-eyed with worry, into his arms and out of the room. Violet watches him go before she turns back to Stiles with a raised eyebrow. "Eclampsia?" 

Stiles shrugs, and almost instantly regrets it, though he doesn't let it show. "Apparently it's common. I was given a C-section a few hours ago.'"

Violet frowns. "And why wasn't I told you were hospitalized?"

"I didn't even tell my own father until right before I went in for surgery," Stiles says. "You weren't at the top of my priority list."

Violet harrumphs. "I am closer than your father," she tells him. "And I still need to speak with you. Now that your child is born, I'm going to be advancing the case."

Stiles' expression hardens. "Violet, I haven't even seen my son yet, much less held him, and you're already talking about taking him away from me?"

Violet shrugs. "You knew this was coming. You also know that you won't win, even with your... new mate." The words are said with clear distaste, indicating exactly what Violet thinks of Derek, an alpha who doesn't exactly bow to omegas, or even give them a deferential nod.

"All the more reason to give me some time," Stiles says, and there's an edge of desperation to his voice that he isn't even ashamed of. "If you're going to win anyway, it can't hurt to back off while I get better, while I get to know my son."

Violet raises an eyebrow. "One of my daughters-in-law recently gave birth; she'll have more than enough milk for another babe," she tells Stiles. "And if I'm going to win, then why do you need to get to know the child?"

"Because I want them to know that I love them," Stiles says. "I want them to know that I fought as hard as I could for them. Please, Violet. You're a mother, too."

Violet sighs, heavy and dramatic. "Very well. I'll give you a few months. But I _will_ be advancing the case after that, Stiles."

"I understand," Stiles says. "Thank you, Violet."

"Don't thank me," Violet snaps. "I still want to see the child."

Stiles sighs. "You can," he says. "You can see Cassidy now, and if you come back tomorrow I promise you can see the baby."

"Very well," Violet says. "I'll find Cassidy and spend some time with her, and I will be back tomorrow."

Stiles tries to smile, and can't. "Then I'll see you tomorrow."

Derek, who hadn't gone too far, brings Cass back in. He nods stiffly to Violet before he pointedly settles himself on the bed between the omegas. 

Stiles sighs and leans back against his pillows. "Cass, do you want to go for a little walk with Grandma?"

"To where?" Cass asks, peering curiously at Violet.

"To the café, maybe," Stiles says. "Maybe if you ask nicely, she'll buy you a hot chocolate."

Cass looks to Derek, who pastes on an encouraging smile. "To the café and back," he says. Cass nods and walks over to Violet, who smiles and holds a hand out. Cass takes it, and with a look back over her shoulder, goes with her grandmother. 

"You sure that's a good idea?" Derek asks doubtfully.

"Yeah," Stiles sighs. "Violet actually has an okay relationship with Cass. And she's not stupid enough to do anything untoward."

Derek frowns. "I still don't like her." 

"You don't have to like her," Stiles says. "But I can trust her alone with my kid for five minutes. I'm gonna have to, if she's taking them away from me."

"We won't let that happen," Derek says fiercely. 

Stiles sighs like he's breathing out all the air in his body, and deflates like he is, too; he even looks smaller somehow afterwards, defeated. "Maybe," he says. "Maybe not. I'm tired, Derek. I'm _so tired_. What if I'm not strong enough to fight her?"

"That's why you have me, and your dad, and Scott and Melissa," Derek says, reaching out to take Stiles's hand in his, giving it a squeeze. 

Stiles doesn't even have the strength to squeeze back. "I don't know," he says, and suddenly there are tears in his eyes. "Look at me. I couldn't keep my baby safe when he was a part of me, how can I do it while he's growing up? I don't even know his name, Derek, I don't know his scent. He could be on that ward, needing me, and I wouldn't know because I'm stuck in here being useless."

"Hey," Derek says quietly, squeezing Stiles's hand again while reaching up to cup his cheek with his other hand, "look at me. You are not being useless, you hear me? You're in here recovering from something that _no one_ had any control over, and no one could have predicted it happening. You kept him safe as best you were able to, by letting me bring you to the hospital. You recognized when you needed help, and that does _not_ make you useless. And you won't be raising him on your own; if you'll have me, then I'll help you raise him and Cass. And Peanut doesn't have an official name yet, because we haven't had a chance to talk about it. They'll bring him out soon, and they will let us know if _anything_ happens to him, okay? You're not being useless - you're being a good parent."

Stiles squeezes his eyes shut, but the first tear falls anyway. "I just want to see him," he whispers. "I want to hold my baby."

"You want me to get a nurse?" Derek asks softly. "There's one at the end of the hallway."

Stiles nods. "Please," he breathes. "If they have to take him away again, that's-- that's fine. Just five minutes. Please."

"All right," Derek says, leaning forward to brush a kiss over Stiles's forehead. "I'll be right back."

True to his word, Derek is back within minutes; and within another ten, Peanut is in the room and in Derek's arms; Derek had taken him from the nurse, and he takes Peanut over to Stiles, sitting on the edge of the bed and carefully handing him over. "Here you go," he says, a smile on his face as Peanut squints at him, then at his mother before breaking out into a beaming, toothless smile.

"Oh," Stiles sighs, taking Peanut gingerly into his arms. "Oh, hi, baby. I missed you so much." He looks up to give Derek a stunning, if somewhat watery, smile. "He's perfect."

"A perfect wrinkly little alien," Derek agrees with a grin, slipping a careful arm around Stiles's shoulders while the nurse ducks out of the room to give them a moment with the baby. "Cass wanted to name him Alec, after his dad; I suggested Benjamin for a first name, Alec for his middle name."

Stiles nods, leaning gratefully into Derek. "That's it," he says softly. "Is that your name, little one? Benjamin Alec Stilinski? Is that your name? I think it is."

The newly-named Benjamin blows a spit bubble, and Derek laughs.

* * *

As promised, Violet comes back the next day, just in time for afternoon visitation to start. Luckily Derek is already there, and together they convince her to see Benjamin in the room with them - not because they don't trust her, they explain, but because the nurses are still limiting Stiles' time with him. She holds him for all of thirty seconds, just long enough to decide that he looks nothing like Alec, before handing him back to Stiles - but she doesn't leave for another hour, when the nurse comes in to take Benjamin away for a feed.

As soon as Violet is gone, Stiles falls back heavily against his pillows, looking drained. "I can't wait until they let me feed him," he tells Derek. "I think we're gonna try tomorrow."

Derek gives Stiles's shoulder a sympathetic pat. "I'm sure your chest is painful," he says. "Besides, nursing is one of the most important parts of bonding, isn't it?"

"Yes to both," Stiles says. "They said they don't want to over-exert me. Whatever. The sooner--" A yawn overwhelms him, but he fights to talk through it. "The sooner I can get out of here, the better."

Derek smiles. "I know," he says soothingly. "They'll let you out soon."

Stiles' sigh turns into another yawn. "I hope so," he says. "M'tired..."

Derek smiles. "Go to sleep, then," he says quietly, voice fond. "I'll be here when you wake up." 

"Yeah?" Stiles asks, his eyes already closing.

"Yeah," Derek says, still smiling.

Stiles sighs softly, doesn't open his eyes again. "I love you," he murmurs, seconds before he falls asleep.

Derek's eyes go wide at Stiles's admission, but he's not about to wake the sleeping omega; Stiles sorely needs his sleep if he and Ben are going to leave the hospital anytime soon. Instead, the alpha settles for stroking the back of Stiles's hand with his thumb. "I love you, too," he says quietly, and resolves to tell Stiles when he wakes up.

But he doesn't.

* * *

Stiles is allowed to feed Benjamin the next day, and exactly a week after he went into hospital the doctors permit them to return home, pleased with Stiles' rate of recovery and Benjamin's progress. He's well on his way to healing, but Stiles is still exhausted by the time they reach the apartment, Benjamin in Derek's arms and Cassidy holding Stiles' hand. He flops down onto the sofa as soon as they get through the door, barely wincing at the twinge in his stomach, the ache in his chest. It's old news by now.

"Gimme," he says softly, making grabby hands for the baby. "He's due a feed."

Derek hands Benjamin over with a smile, settling on the couch next to Stiles and hauling Cassidy up and into his lap. "How you feeling?" 

"Okay," Stiles answers, sighing as Benjamin latches on. "Tired, mostly. But I don't think that's gonna change anytime soon."

"Hospital visits are tiring," Derek agrees. "Giving birth is probably even more so." 

"I didn't actually give birth to this one," Stiles reminds him with a smile. "But you're right. I can't wait to be back in my own bed."

"It's been lonely without you," Derek says with a grin. He and Cass hadn't been allowed to stay overnight in the hospital, and neither of them had gotten a whole lot of sleep this past week. 

Stiles frees up a hand so he can touch Derek's face. "You can sleep with Cass for a little while if you want, or I can. No one wants to be woken up at three in the morning by a hungry baby."

"Like I'm letting you have all the fun," Derek teases. "We can take turns." 

And Stiles just melts. "You're amazing, y'know," he says.

"Hey!" Cass cries, poking her head around Derek to glare at them both. "I'm amazing, too!"

Derek laughs, pulling Cassidy into a hug. "Yes you are," he reassures her. "The most amazing." 

"Best daughter anyone could ask for," Stiles agrees. "And the best big sister."

Cassidy grins and snuggles further into Derek's hold.

* * *

Stiles heals a lot faster the second week than he had the first, and gradually he returns to his usual self. His stomach still gives him a little trouble sometimes, and he still gets tired easily, but for the most part he's feeling much better. So much better, in fact, that when he gets back into bed after a late-night feed, his chest pleasantly free of that too-full ache for the first time in at least an hour, and finds that Derek is still awake, he feels brave enough to press up behind him, one hand curling around Derek's hip, and kiss the side of his neck. "Hey," he murmurs, voice low and more sultry than he'd intended.

Derek raises an eyebrow, shifting slightly to better face Stiles. "Hey yourself," he says quietly. "Up to something?"

"Maybe," Stiles answers. "I don't have to be, though."

Derek smiles, leaning in for a kiss. "If you want to be up to something, I think I could be persuaded," he says with a grin.

The kiss is soft, intimate, but by no means chaste. "It's the first time I've felt, y'know," Stiles admits. "And I... I want to be close to you."

"Yeah?" Derek asks, shifting around so that he's laying on his side facing Stiles. He's been trying to find the right time to tell Stiles that he loves him, and he kept getting interrupted, whether by Benjamin, or a nurse, or Violet, or Cassidy. The alpha takes a deep breath, and then says, "Can I tell you something?"

"Yeah," Stiles says, searching Derek's face in the gloom. "You can tell me anything."

"I love you."

Stiles' breath catches in his throat. "You-- what?"

Derek smiles. "You said it first, right before you fell asleep. I've been trying to find a time to say it back."

Stiles smiles back, and presses himself into Derek's arms. "I love you," he says, kissing him. "I love you."

Derek returns the kiss eagerly. "I love you, too," he says, grin wide enough that it's threatening to split his face in two.

Stiles laughs softly into Derek's mouth and kisses him again, slow and deep. "I want," he breathes. "I want-- do you?"

Taking a chance on what Stiles meant, Derek nods. "Yeah," he breathes. "I do."

Stiles moans and presses Derek back onto the bed, rucking his shirt up as he goes so that his clever fingers can find Derek's nipple. "So," he murmurs, his mouth hot against Derek's throat. "I've been... thinking."

Derek grunts when his back hits the mattress, and then groans when Stiles touches him. "Yeah?" he asks, a bit distracted at the moment.

Stiles hums and starts to kiss down Derek's chest. "You said you weren't like other alphas, right?"

"Yeah..."

Stiles hesitates above Derek's left pec. "So, does that mean..." He laves his tongue over Derek's nipple. "Does that mean I can play with your ass a little?"

Derek's not sure if his moan is in response to Stiles's tongue on his chest or his words; either way, the answer is the same. " _Yes._ " He hadn't had a partner do anything to his ass in years, and he'd been taking care of that particular liking himself, but he'd be a liar if he said that he'd never wondered about Stiles's hands and fingers.

Stiles moans right back, sucking gently on Derek's nipple before moving back up the bed to claim a hard kiss. "God, I want to," he sighs. "Want to get my fingers inside you, open you up for me."

Derek whines. "Want that, too," he murmurs, tugging Stiles into another kiss.

"Do you have anything?" Stiles asks when they break apart, his hands already sliding down Derek's sides to push at his waistband. "Do you touch yourself there?"

"Bedside table," Derek says, lifting his hips to help Stiles. "Top drawer."

"Oh god, you do, don't you?" Stiles groans. Derek's shorts are already on the bedroom floor, and Stiles gropes around in the drawer until his fingers close around the bottle of lube. "Fuck, I wanna see that."

Maybe it's the fact that it's the middle of the night and there's barely any light, maybe it's the fact that it's _Stiles_ in Derek's bed, but the alpha just grins. "Get me the lube and you can."

* * *

Another week passes, and things are almost back to normal. Cassidy has resumed one of her days with the childminder, largely because sometimes she needs a break from the adults and the baby as much as the adults need a break themselves, and Stiles and Derek are doing their best to juggle raising two young children with the developing intimacy of their relationship. The fact that one of those children is a newborn baby is not helping matters; three times Ben has woken up to demand attention and interrupted them, once right as Stiles was about to come. Nothing kills the mood like a screaming baby.

But Derek has just got back from dropping Cass off with the sitter, and while Stiles has more than learnt his lesson in the past week with regard to planning ahead, he's optimistic about the few hours reprieve they've managed to snatch for themselves. Ben is just finishing up his afternoon feed, so he should, in theory, sleep until Cass needs picking up, and Stiles has Netflix all set up on their living room TV in preparation for some well-earned down time. "Hey there," he says, throwing a wink over the back of the couch at Derek as he approaches. "This one's just about ready for a nap - are _you_ ready to have your brain oh-so-wonderfully numbed by _Shadowhunters_?”

"Actually," Derek says, coming to sit on the couch next to Stiles, "I was hoping we could talk." 

"Oh," Stiles says, "okay." He eases Ben away from his chest with one hand while he straightens his shirt and throws a towel over his shoulder with the other. "Should it wait until I've put the baby down?"

"Maybe?" Derek says, nervous. 

"Okay," Stiles says again. He waits until the baby's got his wind up and then wanders into the bedroom to put him down. Ben is mercifully quick to fall asleep this time, and moments later Stiles is back beside Derek on the couch, reaching out to tentatively take his hand. "So what is it?"

"I've been thinking," Derek starts, hesitating a little because he knows this something they need to talk about when they're not in the middle of sex, but it's still an awkward subject to bring up. "I... I want you to top. Me. In bed." 

Stiles' jaw hits the floor. "You want me to _what?_ "

"I want you to fuck me," Derek says, determined to soldier on. 

"Um," Stiles says, his brain still stalling. " _Yeah!_ Are you kidding?"

Derek shakes his head; if this were anyone else, he'd seriously be reconsidering his decision. "No, I'm not. I want to bottom." 

"Hey," Stiles says, pulling Derek's hand into his lap. "Hey, _yes_. Anything you want, Derek, I'll give it to you."

Derek chuckles, but it's a bit weak. "That's a dangerous thing to promise," he teases. 

"Derek," Stiles says, "I'm not even gonna try to lie. I've thought about this a lot, and if it's something you want, I'm all for it."

"Yeah?" Derek asks, hopeful. 

"Of course," Stiles says. "Have you-- have you ever bottomed before?"

Derek shakes his head. "No one I trusted enough, before you." 

Stiles nods. "Okay," he says. "Well, I've never topped before, so we can learn together?"

Derek smiles. "I like that plan," he agrees. 

Stiles smiles back, and leans in for a kiss. "I love you," he murmurs.

Derek returns the kiss easily. "I love you, too."

* * *

"Oh, _fuck_ ," Stiles groans the moment he finally, _finally_ sinks into Derek. They've been building up to this for weeks, fingering Derek, fucking him with the dildos Stiles used to use during his heats, but they haven't found the time, the energy for this until now. It's been worth the wait. Sweat is beading on Stiles' forehead as he grips Derek's waist, pressing in slowly until their hips are flush together. "Fuck," he sighs again, drinking in the look on Derek's face. "You feel amazing."

Derek lets out a strangled noise of pleasure; it's all he can manage until he's got his breath back. Even then, all he can manage is a hoarse, "Yeah." He reaches up to wind his arms around Stiles's shoulders, pulling him down into a biting kiss. "Christ, _move_."

So Stiles does, his hips stuttering a little before finding a surer rhythm. "This okay?" he asks, a little breathless.

Derek nods, eager. "Yes," he says, rocking his hips to meet Stiles's thrusts. "More than okay."

"God," Stiles sighs, falling forward to kiss Derek again. "You're so gorgeous like this."

That makes Derek blush, blood rushing to settle high in his cheeks and pinken his ears. "Not as gorgeous as you," he counters, nails scratching lightly down Stiles's back.

Stiles groans and ducks his head to suck a bruise into Derek's neck. It'll have healed by morning, but for now it's thrilling to see his mark on Derek. " _Mine._ "

For once, a possessive display by an omega doesn't make Derek panic. Instead, it makes something warm and happy curl in his chest. "Yours," he agrees, arching into Stiles's mouth. 

* * *

Two days later, Stiles answers the door with Benjamin in his arms, and almost drops him. "Oh my god!" he cries. " _Dad?_ "

The sheriff grins. "Hey, son. Surprised?" 

"More than!" Stiles laughs, moving forward to give his father a one-armed but heartfelt hug. "Oh my god, this is amazing. This is your _grandson_!"

"Yes; I remember it was quite the production to bring him into the world," the sheriff says, returning Stiles's hug just a bit too tightly; he'd been genuinely worried and never more relieved than when Derek had called to tell him that both mother and son had made it out safely. "Benjamin, right? Gimme." 

"Benjamin Alec," Stiles agrees, handing him over to his father. "Derek's out at the moment but he'll be home in an hour or so. Are you staying with us?"

"If you've got room," the sheriff says, a bit distracted. "Oh, he's precious. Much cuter than you were as a baby." 

Stiles snorts. "Thanks, Dad. I guess that's because Alec was the good-looking one. Come and sit down, okay? Cassidy's around here somewh--"

"Grandpa?" an excited little voice interrupts from the other end of the hall. "Grandpa!"

The sheriff hands Benjamin back to Stiles just in time to catch Cassidy, who's launched herself at him. "Hey Cass," he laughs, giving her a big hug. "Miss me?" 

"So much!" Cass gushes. "Mommy's nice an' all but he's not as good as you."

Stiles laughs, adjusting his hold on Benjamin so that he can bend down and pick up the sheriff's overnight bag. "Thanks, Cass," he says. "Why don't you show Grandpa where everything is while I set up the guest bed?"

Cass voices her enthusiastic agreement, and the sheriff can't help but laugh as he's dragged down the hall by an excited three-year-old; he loved his son, and his family, and he couldn't wait for this custody battle to be done with so they could all come home.

* * *

When Derek gets home just over an hour later, everyone is snuggled up beneath a blanket on the sofa, watching _Frozen_. Again. Stiles is half asleep, Cass cuddled into his side while the sheriff holds Ben, but he wakes up as soon as he hears the door open.

"Hey," he calls out into the hall. "We have a visitor!"

Derek finishes removing his shoes and jacket before he makes his way into the living room. "Sheriff," he says, surprised. "We weren't expecting you."

"Thought it was about time I met my grandson," the sheriff answers, grinning. "This 'Sheriff' thing is a bit tired, though, isn't it?"

Derek's... not sure where Stiles's father is going with that. "Well, you're still the sheriff, aren't you?"

"For now," the sheriff agrees, "but I'll be retiring soon and then what will you do?"

"Probably call you 'sir,'" Derek says honestly.

The sheriff laughs. "You're part of the family, Derek," he says. "You don't need to call me 'sir'."

"Dad..." Stiles warns.

"Do you think Scott calls me 'Sheriff'? Or 'sir'?" the sheriff presses. "No, he does not. Scott calls me 'Pops'."

Derek stiffens slightly, shoulders straightening. "Scott's as good as your son, though," he says, tone a bit shorter than he intends, defensive. 

The sheriff's eyebrows shoot up into his hairline, and Stiles knows he's about to say something awful, about how the sheriff loved Derek and did everything he could for him back when he was a teenager; about how they're in the same pack and the sheriff has always been there, on the sidelines, waiting for Derek to come to him; about how Derek practically _is_ a son now that he and Stiles are together - and Stiles doesn't know how Derek will take it. So he opens his mouth before the sheriff can get the first word out.

"Okay," he says. "Okay, how about--" But then there's a tell-tale pang in his chest, and Ben starts screaming right on cue. Stiles sighs. "How about I feed the baby, and you two talk about something else?"

Derek makes himself relax; he can see Cassidy giving both him and Stiles's father a worried look, and the last thing he wants to do is upset her when she's surely ecstatic that her grandfather came to visit. "Okay," he says. "You got the burping cloth?"

"Got everything," Stiles says, throwing the cloth over his shoulder and scooping Benjamin out of his father's arms. "I'll be in the bedroom; don't kill each other." This last said as he passes Derek, just low enough for him to hear.

Once Stiles has left the room, the sheriff raises an eyebrow at Derek. "He can't breastfeed in front of you?"

"He can, and does," Derek says without looking at the sheriff as he moves into the kitchen to get himself a drink; he needs something to do with his hands. "I'm not entirely certain why he's gone into the bedroom this time."

There's a sigh from the living room and the rustle of a blanket, the creak of the sofa as the sheriff stands up, and then Derek isn't alone in the kitchen anymore. "Look," the sheriff says quietly from the doorway. "I'm not trying to step on any toes here, I don't want to make you uncomfortable. But this is my family, Derek. I just want to know you're all okay."

Derek sighs. "I understand that," he says, because he really does. He'd do the same, in the sheriff's position. "But I don't - I'm not really family. At least, it doesn't feel that way, not yet. I understand that you and Melissa and Scott all care about me, but I have a hard time reconciling that with a sense of family."

"No one's ever wanted to replace what you lost, Derek," the sheriff says, surprisingly gentle. "You're our pack, if nothing else. And it looks very much to me like you're a part of my son's family now."

Derek can't help but smile when he thinks of how far he and Stiles have come. "I guess that's true," he allows. "I am glad that Stiles and I managed to pull our heads out of our - " Derek catches sight of Cassidy watching them curiously over the back of couch, and hastily corrects himself. " - Butts."

The sheriff laughs. "Me too," he says. "But I always said it was just a matter of time"

Derek snorts. "Really?" 

"Oh yeah," the sheriff says. "I mean, don't think for a second that I was ever told what happened between you two when you were younger; Stiles was never very forthcoming about any of that. And I know that he was happy with his life with Alec, and that he loves those two kids more than anything in the world. But no one has ever made him smile like he did when you walked through that door just now."

Derek thinks about it for a moment, and he can't help a small smile of his own. "I can honestly say I never saw it coming," he says. "When we were younger... I had too many issues with omegas and relationships of just about every kind period to ever think about anything with him beyond maybe friendship. And I made sure that wouldn't happen when I took off across the country and cut him off." 

The sheriff's expression hardens briefly, and it's clear that he still holds some bitterness toward Derek for that, even if he never fully understood the situation. "And now?" he asks.

"I love him," Derek says honestly. "It wasn't easy, with Scott just dropping him on me like that, but we became friends, and then more." 

The sheriff smiles at that. "You're good for him," he says. "And I think he's been good for you."

Derek shrugs at the first, but nods at the second. "He definitely has. I don't know what I'd do without him in my life, now."

The sheriff nods like he knows exactly what Derek means. "Well, with a bit of luck, you won't have to find out."

* * *

They get the sheriff set up on the camp bed in the spare room, Cassidy more than happy to share her space with him, and when they finally turn in that night Stiles crawls into bed next to Derek with a deep but contented sigh. "Well, that was a bit out of the blue," he says as he presses himself into Derek's arms. "It's okay, right? He's only here for the weekend."

Derek easily wraps his arms around Stiles, shifting until they're both comfortable. "Of course it's okay; he's your father."

Stiles hums and noses at Derek's cheek. "What did you two talk about?"

"You and me," Derek says. "Your dad mentioned you never told him about what happened between us."

The sheets rustle as Stiles shrugs. "I didn't see the point," he says. "I was embarrassed enough as it was."

"I thought about telling him," Derek admits, "but that didn't seem right. If he finds out, it should be because we decided to tell him together. Plus he scares me just a little bit; I don't think he's forgiven me for cutting you out of my life."

Stiles laughs softly. "It's not really any of his business," he decides. "If it comes up, we'll tell him, but I think we've moved past that, don't you?"

"Yeah, I think so," Derek agrees with a smile, leaning in for a kiss.

* * *

The next morning, Derek goes out for a run after breakfast, and Stiles is washing the dishes when the hairs on the back of his neck suddenly stand on end. "I can feel you lurking," he says mildly without turning around. "What's up?"

The sheriff chuckles. "Must be a parent thing," he says. "You never knew when I was watching you before you had kids." He moves into the kitchen, stepping up next to his son to take the drying rag and help dry. "I was thinking about Derek - what he said yesterday, to be exact."

"What about it?" Stiles asks. "If you're about to ask what happened before he left for college, we've already talked about it and we agreed that it's in the past."

"Maybe not exactly that," the sheriff says. "What he implied - that he doesn't consider himself part of our family."

Stiles almost drops the plate he's holding. "What?"

The sheriff frowns. "You know what I'm talking about - when I mentioned that Scott calls me 'Pops.'"

"Dad, you pushed that too far," Stiles says. "You can't expect him to just accept you as a father figure because he's dating me."

"I'm not expecting it just because he's dating you," the sheriff protests. "But he's been part of this pack for over a decade, now."

"He's got trust issues," Stiles argues. "Not so much with other people, but with himself. It's hard for him to let people get close."

The sheriff sighs. "I know that," he concedes. "But Melissa and I care for and worry about him; we always have." 

"He's aware," Stiles says. "He cares about you, too." He sighs. "But he's been keeping himself isolated for a really long time, and he's got us now. He and I are in a really good place, and he loves Cass and Ben. He'll come around."

The sheriff sighs. "I know. It's a little frustrating, but I'll try not to push it." 

"Please do," Stiles says. "I don't want you to scare him off."

The sheriff smiles, reaching out to rub a hand up and down Stiles's back. "I won't, I promise." 

* * *

The sheriff leaves at the end of the weekend, and then things pretty much return to normal. The custody battle is looming, Violet's unspecified deadline surely getting closer, but for the most part Stiles is happy. Really happy. And right now? He's also kind of horny.

"Hey sexy," he murmurs when Derek finally comes to bed, shirtless and stunning. "C'mere."

Derek raises an eyebrow, but there's a playful smirk dancing about his expression. "Bit eager, are we?" he asks with a laugh as he complies with Stiles's request.

"Are you complaining?" Stiles asks, already sucking on Derek's earlobe. "God, I _really_ want you."

Derek grins. "Definitely not complaining," he says, biting back a groan. "How do you want me?" 

"I want--" Stiles begins, but cuts himself off. He was going to say, _I want to fuck you_ , but for the first time, he's not sure if he does. He's hard, sure, but he's also kind of wet, and this realisation only makes him _wetter_. He pulls back to look Derek in the eye. "I think I want to bottom."

Derek's breath catches in his chest at that. "Yeah?" he asks, letting one hand smooth down Stiles's back to cup his ass. 

Stiles groans, shifting until Derek's fingers slip into his cleft. "Please," he sighs. "I want you inside me."

Derek shushes Stiles gently, lifting his hand to start stripping them. "I've got you, baby," he murmurs, pressing a kiss to Stiles's lips. 

As soon as they're fully naked, Stiles is back in Derek's arms, pressing their lube into his hand with fingers that are almost trembling with need. "I won't need much," he rasps, and it's true; it's like his body is working double-time now that the decision to bottom has been made, and his thighs are already wet with slick.

"Easy," Derek says, stroking a hand down Stiles's back. "I've got you." He slicks up his fingers with lube, although when he reaches back, he might as well not have bothered. " _Christ,_ Stiles," he breathes, awed. "You're fucking soaking." 

Stiles manages to smirk. "That's how much I want you," he gasps.

"Fucking hell," Derek breathes. "God, I can't wait to be in there." 

"Then _get_ in me," Stiles laughs, a little breathless. "Do you want me to ride you?"

"Fuck yes," Derek says, rolling onto his back and taking Stiles with him. 

Everything's kind of a blur after that; Stiles loses himself to the slick slide of skin on skin, to the too-much-not-enough press of Derek's cock into him, to the look in Derek's eyes when Stiles takes control and rides him until he comes on his knot - which he does three times before he's sated enough to flop down onto Derek's chest, knowing the alpha can support his weight, and close his eyes, enjoying the pull of Derek's knot where they're still tied together.

What feels like hours later, when Derek's knot has finally gone down but his dick has yet to slip free of the warm clench of Stiles' body, Stiles lifts his head and offers Derek a smile. "God," he sighs. "That was _amazing_."

"It was," Derek agrees. "I think we spent most of the night fucking." 

"Worth it," Stiles murmurs, resting his head back on Derek's chest. " _So_ worth it."

Derek smiles, letting his fingers draw idle patterns on Stiles's back. They're quiet for several long moments before he speaks. "So, is that what a heat is like?" 

Stiles peers up at Derek curiously. "Have you never been with an omega during a heat?"

Derek shakes his head. "Never got to that point; barely made it past a few kisses with the other omegas I dated." 

Stiles nods. "Well, that was nothing," he says. "I was just really turned on; heats are _way_ stronger than that. There's sweating and spontaneous orgasms and crying, sometimes pain. I'm talking utter desperation, can't sit up straight, can't even think straight unless there's a knot in you. And that lasts for _days_."

Derek makes a face. "Sounds messy." 

Stiles goes still. "It is," he says, "but it's good, when you have a partner. And the alpha gets all mixed up in your pheromones and they really like it, too."

"Huh," Derek says thoughtfully. He notices Stiles's stillness. "What's wrong?" 

"Nothing," Stiles says quickly, "nothing. It's just, well. You've got all that to come, haven't you? But I mean, I've seen myself through heats before and it's been fine, if it's not something you're into."

"I never said it was something I wasn't interested in," Derek says hastily. "I mean, just because it's messy doesn't mean I won't be into it. I want to take care of you, Stiles - in every way I can." 

Stiles smiles, touches Derek's face. "Well," he says, "you won't have to worry about that particular mess for a while yet. I didn't have a heat for six months after Cass was born."

"Well that's something," Derek says with a grin. "It's only been what, two months since Ben?"

"Yeah," Stiles says, stilling again as he realises what that means. "We can't have much longer of this grace period left."

Derek pulls Stiles closer, pressing a kiss to the top of his head. "We'll figure something out," he says reassuringly. 

Stiles closes his eyes, and hopes Derek's right.

* * *

It takes another two days for Violet to make her move; Mark rings them early that morning to inform them that she's requested a mediation meeting to discuss the advancement of the case. He says it's better than it going straight to court, that it gives them a chance to reach some kind of compromise, but Stiles isn't so sure that's a good thing. He doesn't want to compromise on the custody of his children. Still, he agrees, and a week later both Cassidy and Benjamin go to the childminder's while Derek and Stiles head to Violet's solicitor's office.

"Are we making the right decision?" Stiles asks, gripping Derek's hand as they approach the building. Mark's waiting for them just outside, and there's no turning back now either way. "What kind of compromise can we possibly reach?"

Derek shifts his hand so he can weave their fingers together. "I don't know," he admits, "but things will get a lot more expensive if this goes to court. The least we can do is hear whatever idea she has out." 

Stiles nods, taking a breath. "You're right," he says. "We can do this."

"We can," Derek agrees, pulling Stiles in for a quick kiss. "No matter what, we won't stop fighting for our kids, okay?" 

Stiles' heart does a funny swooping thing in his chest, and he smiles for the first time all morning. "Okay," he says.

Mark meets them inside the lobby, and it's a quiet elevator ride to Violet's solicitor's office. The solicitor - whose name, Jerry Aldine, is given by the plaque on the door - rises to his feet when Stiles and Derek enter. "Mr. Stilinski, Mr. Hale, welcome." 

"Thank you," Stiles says, and he and Derek take the seats offered to them. "Let's get on, shall we?"

"Yes." Violet, who was already seated when they entered the room, leans forward. "I don't want to drag this case through the courts anymore than you do, so I thought that maybe we could come to some kind of arrangement instead."

Derek opens his mouth, but Mark holds up a hand. "What kind of arrangement?" he asks, voice calm and steady. 

"Well, to avoid the emotional upheaval Cassidy is sure to endure if we take this further, I've decided to offer joint custody."

That gets Stiles' attention. "Joint custody?" he repeats. He won't take it, not while he still has a shot at beating Violet altogether, but it's a lot better than what she'd been after originally.

But then Violet smiles, and all of Stiles' hopes die. "I'd still have parental rights, and I'd have custody of both children during the school year, but I'd let you take them over the summer."

" _What_."

This time Mark isn't able to stop Derek in time. "Absolutely _not_ ," he snarls.

"I'm afraid there will be more emotional upheaval if you separate these betas from their mother," Mark interjects. "We cannot accept such an offer; as mother, Stiles's rights are more cemented than yours."

"But Stiles can't support them without the help of another alpha, who he found very, _very_ quickly after the death of his mate, my darling Alec. He's even trying to break their pack ties, and they belong with their alpha's pack."

"Derek is their alpha now," Stiles argues. "We may not be mates yet, but we're well on the way."

"And how callous does that make you?" Victoria challenges. "How fickle? That you'd uproot these children and spit on their dead father's memory in the process is despicable, Stiles, and teaches them none of the values that a good omega should be able to teach them in their sleep."

"Stiles isn't spitting on Alec's memory," Derek snaps. "He makes sure that Cass knows that her dad loved her, and - "

"And that is not a valid argument in a court of law," Jerry reminds his client. "Betas belong with their mother, regardless of which pack their mother is in. Cross-pack families are very common."

"Right," Violet says. "Which is why I'm willing to make this offer. Cassidy especially will not benefit from being taken away from the pack she has known her whole life. This way, she'll be able to benefit from both packs and from pursuing her education here in New York."

"She hasn't even begun her education in New York," Derek points out. "Why shouldn't she spend her school year in California, with her mother's pack, and her summers with her father's?"

"Well, perhaps that can be renegotiated at a later date," Violet says, "when she knows her mother's pack better. But right now I think spending the most time with the pack she's familiar with is in her best interests at these troubling times."

Stiles narrows his eyes at her. "Troubling times?"

"You know," Violet says flippantly. "What with the death of her father, and your lightning-fast replacement of him."

And that's it. "You know you're talking through your ass, right?" Stiles demands. "If I sign over my parental rights, it doesn't matter what we agree in this room; all it takes is for you to decide it's not _convenient_ for Cass and Ben to see me, and there's nothing I can do about it."

Violet is brave enough to nod, like she has no idea how close Stiles is to flying across the table and clawing her eyes out. "If I feel that the environment you have set up in your new home is inappropriate, then of course I'll do what I think is best for my grandchildren."

"What's _best_ ," Stiles snarls, ignoring Mark's frantic attempts to attract his attention. "You're a cold-hearted _bitch_ , Violet."

Violet sucks in a sharp breath at that, and then goes very, very still. Stiles thinks for a heart-stopping moment that he's given her a stroke, but then she releases the breath in a slow, controlled way, and reaches for a nearby pen. She writes something down that the others can't see, viciously underlining the last word three times, and when she pushes it over to Jerry, he sits back in his seat abruptly.

"Well," he says. "This changes everything."

"What does?" Derek demands; Mark drops his head into his hands briefly, but it snaps back up with Jerry's next words: 

"Mr. Stilinski, have you had a heat?"

"No," Stiles says, frowning. "I only gave birth two months ago, it's way too early."

Mark eyes the people across from him. "Are you claiming that Mr. Stilinski is pregnant?" 

Now it's Stiles' turn to almost have a stroke. " _What?_ ”

Jerry sighs and looks at Violet. "How do you want to proceed?"

Violet, tight-lipped and bitter, asks, "Is there any point?"

"You know what I think," Jerry says bluntly. "The childrens' pack bonds will be solidified, and Mr Hale will become their alpha as well as their mother's mate. But for their father, they'll have no remaining ties to you. You'll be laughed out of any courtroom."

"Will someone please tell me what the _hell_ is going on?" Stiles demands, his voice shrill.

Violet's silence seems to be answer enough for Jerry, because he turns to Stiles with a remarkably sincere-looking smile. "My client just caught your scent, Mr Stilinski," he says. "You are indeed pregnant. My client wishes to bring a halt to all proceedings, permanently."

Derek and Stiles sit there in stunned silence while Mark smiles. "Well, that makes things much simpler," he says. 

"Congratulations, Mr Stilinski, Mr Hale," Jerry says, reaching across the table to shake their hands. They return the gesture on autopilot. "I'm very happy for both of you."

Violet stands when Jerry does, but she offers no congratulations herself. Instead, she glares down at Stiles and Derek, looking disgusted. "It figures that you'd let the first alpha you saw after Alec died bend you over and knock you up at the earliest opportunity," she sneers. "Those children deserve better than a weak, pathetic slut for a mother."

Jerry goes white. "Don't make me call security," he warns, taking her firmly by the elbow. "I'll walk you out." And then they're gone.

Derek had been stopped from returning Violet's comment with one of his own by both Mark and Stiles each grabbing an arm. He contents himself with a low growl, and when the other two are gone, he turns to Stiles. "How - You didn't have a heat, though." 

"I-- I don't know," Stiles says, his eyes wide. "I guess that one time was a little unusual, but. It's still _really_ early; maybe they're wrong." He knows they're not, though; he hasn't felt the quickening of life in his belly yet, but he knew as soon as Mark said it that it was true.

"It's uncommon," Mark interjects, "but certainly not unheard of for an omega to have a pre-heat only a couple of months after birth; the pre-heat is still a chance to get pregnant, though that is rare." 

"I had no idea," Stiles says, still looking at Derek. "I-- I'm so sorry."

Derek blinks, then frowns. "Sorry? For what?"

Stiles opens his mouth to answer, but then glances to the side, suddenly hyper-aware of their audience. "Let's talk about this at home," he says, standing. "Thanks for everything, Mark, really."

Derek echoes the sentiment, and then follows Stiles out, brow furrowed as they walk. What could Stiles be apologizing for?

* * *

Stiles drives them home in silence, and when they get up to the apartment he goes straight into the bathroom and shuts the door behind him. _Jesus Christ_ , he thinks as he stares into the mirror over the sink, his hands gripping the basin hard enough that his knuckles are white. How could he have been so stupid? He and Derek have only been together five minutes, Benjamin was only born two months ago, and now he's pregnant again?

Derek hesitates for only a few moments before he knocks on the bathroom door. "Stiles?" he calls, voice clearly worried. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah," Stiles calls back, and he's proud of how steady his voice is. "I just need a minute."

Derek doesn't quite buy Stiles's reassurance, but he respects it. "All right. I'll be in the living room, okay?"

Stiles doesn't answer, but the shuffle of socks on carpet tells him that Derek has backed off anyway. He's relieved in a way, disappointed in another, but he takes the minute that he begged of Derek and even takes two more, and in the end he splashes some water on his face, flushes the toilet for good measure, and emerges. He finds Derek in the living room as promised, and moves into the room hesitantly, folding himself into the armchair instead of sitting beside Derek on the sofa. "So," he says, his arms wrapped protectively around his knees, which he's brought up to his chest. "I guess we should talk about this."

"We probably should," Derek agrees, looking at Stiles with concern. "This is... big."

"Yeah," Stiles says, "it is." He takes a breath. "I swear I didn't know this could happen, Derek."

Derek shakes his head. "I know you didn't," he says reassuringly. "Neither of us did."

"What are we going to do?" Stiles asks. "Do-- do you want it?"

"Of course I do," Derek says instantly. "But only if you're comfortable with it, too; you just gave birth, after all."

"Derek, it's okay," Stiles says, concerned by the speed with which Derek had answered. "It's okay if you don't want this. Violet has backed off now, so I'm free to take Cass and Ben back to my dad's, and we'll be okay, all-- all four of us. You didn't sign up for this; I know it's a lot. No one would blame you if it was too much."

And Derek, idiot that he is sometimes, answers without thinking. "Your dad and Scott would blame me."

All the colour drains from Stiles' face. "They won't," he says. "They might be mad at first, but I'll talk to them, I'll make them understand. You won't lose your pack, I promise. They love you, _I_ \--" He chokes on the next words before they make it past his tongue.

Derek shakes his head, a bit frantic. "No, that's not what I - I'm sorry, I didn't mean that."

Stiles lets out a shaky breath, one hand slipping behind his knees to press protectively against his stomach. "You need to think about this," he says. "You need to really think about what this means. A baby, _your_ baby. It changes everything."

"I know," Derek says quietly. "I know it changes a lot, but Stiles - I'm not going to walk away from this just because there's another child in the picture now."

Stiles closes his eyes. "You told my dad that you don't feel like part of our family."

Derek sighs. "Because I don't - didn't. I never let myself; I didn't want to get close to anyone like that, ever again," he says.

"What about now?" Stiles asks. "What about _our_ family - me and Cass and Ben and..." He presses his hand closer to his stomach. "Whoever this is."

Derek scoots forward on the couch until he is perched on the edge, leaning forward with an earnest expression. "You're my family," he says sincerely. "I don't know when that happened, but you're my family now, Stiles. You, Cass, Ben, and... Pickle."

Stiles' laugh sounds a little wet, but the smile on his face is unmistakable. "Pickle?"

Derek flushes, but he's smiling. "The first name that came to mind."

"Pickle," Stiles says again, soft and reverent. "I like it."

Derek's smile grows just a bit. "Yeah?" he asks quietly. 

"Yeah," Stiles whispers. "Our Pickle."

Derek carefully gets up, only to kneel beside Stiles, one hand cautiously resting on the omega's knee. "I'm not going to give this up, just because things moved along faster than we thought they would," he says. "I love you, and I never thought I'd get to have this - any of this - again. I'm not going to walk away from this."

Slowly, carefully, Stiles lowers his feet to the floor, only to take Derek's hand in both of his and guide it to his stomach. "I love you," he says. "We all love you."

Derek swallows, looking up at Stiles. "I love you, too," he says, voice rough with emotion. "All of you."

Stiles blinks back the tears that are suddenly stinging his eyes and hauls Derek up into a kiss. It's fast and hard with an edge of desperation, but it tells Stiles everything he needs to know: they're going to be okay.

* * *

A trip to the doctor confirms what they already know, but they are advised that it's ridiculously early days - Stiles is barely two weeks pregnant - and that, given the nature of conception, they should probably keep the news under their hats for at least another month. They leave no more nervous than they went in, but Derek holds Stiles hand the whole way home, and while they're both cautious, they're also optimistic.

They decide to wait until two months and another doctor's visit has passed before they tell anyone. Because of the problems with Ben's birth, and Stiles' and Derek's obvious fear, the doctor schedules them in for an early scan, and they leave with a grainy picture of Stiles' womb to put on the fridge. The baby is tiny, and although Derek claims to be able to identify it among the other squiggles in the picture, Stiles doesn't really believe him. Still, it's great to know that everything seems to be progressing as normal, and that night, they sit down with Cass between them and Benjamin in Stiles' arms. He may only be four months old, but Stiles feels like he should hear this anyway.

"Sweetheart," Stiles begins carefully, jiggling Ben a little when he threatens to start fussing. "Do you remember when me and Daddy told you that we were going to have another baby?"

Cass nods. "You told me that you both loved me very much and that I was gonna be a big sister."

Stiles smiles. "That's right," he says. "Well, you're going to be a big sister again, and Ben's going to be a big brother."

Cass' eyes go big and round. "You're gonna have _another_ baby?"

"That's right," Stiles says. "And Uncle Derek's going to be the daddy."

"But Uncle Derek said we don't have to call him Daddy."

"And you still don't have to if you're not comfortable with it," Derek says. "But I love your mom and you and Ben very much, and I hope to be a part of your family for a very long time." 

"Besides," Stiles adds, "the new baby will call Derek 'Daddy' because he _is_ the baby's daddy, just like your daddy is yours and Ben's. Derek is your uncle, so it's okay to call him Uncle Derek."

Cassidy takes a moment to process this. "So the new baby will be _all yours_?" she asks Derek.

"Pickle will be mine and Mommy's," Derek confirms. "And they'll be your brother or sister." 

Cass nods, her eyes still wide but a little watery now, too. "Does that mean you'll like them better than us?"

"No, baby," Derek says, pulling Cassidy into his lap so he can hold her close. "I'll love them just as much as I love you." 

Stiles' heart aches while Cassidy sniffles and hides her face in the crook of Derek's neck. "Promise?"

"I promise," Derek says, tightening his grip on Cassidy and pressing a kiss to her hair. 

Cassidy nods, takes a shuddering breath. "I love you, Uncle Derek," she mumbles.

"I love you, too, sweetheart," Derek murmurs, rubbing a hand soothingly up and down Cass's back. 

* * *

They wait another month before flying out to California to see the sheriff and the McCalls, Stiles jittery with nerves and excitement. The sheriff is expecting them, has set up Stiles' old room and the guest room in anticipation of their arrival, and meets them at the airport so that they don't have to hire a car and drive to Beacon Hills. Idle chatter fills the car on the way, supplied mostly by Cassidy, but as soon as they get through the door the sheriff pounces.

"Well, out with it. I know you didn't come all the way out here just to see me. Are you guys looking for houses in the area?"

Stiles' eyes widen. "Uhh," he says eloquently. "Maybe we'd better sit down."

The sheriff all but pushes them into the chairs, and Derek shares an amused look with Stiles before turning back to the sheriff. "You remember we told you Violet had dropped the case?" he asks. 

The sheriff nods. "But you didn't tell me why." 

"It's because Violet realised something," Stiles says. "Something we didn't even know ourselves." He glances at Derek, and takes his hand before turning back to his father. "I'm pregnant."

The sheriff blinks, and then does some counting on his fingers. "You had that meeting two months after Ben was born, though," he says, confused. "You're sure?" 

"Positive," Stiles says. "I'm just over three months now; we have a scan picture and everything." He jiggles Derek's hand until he takes the picture out of his pocket, and then takes it from him so he can pass it to his dad. "Meet Pickle."

"Oh my God," the sheriff says, quiet and awed as he takes the picture from his son. "You're really pregnant again." It's quiet for a few heartbeats, and then the sheriff looks up with a grin. "So when's the ceremony?" 

"Um," Stiles says. "What?"

The sheriff waves the scan - one they'd gotten just before they left New York - pointedly while Derek sits in stunned silence. "When's the mating ceremony? You can't tell me you don't have one planned." 

"Um," Stiles says again, looking helplessly at Derek. "We haven't really talked about it..."

"It's still really soon," Derek says. "We've been together for less than a year." 

"You're having a baby, though," the sheriff points out, confused.

"Dad," Stiles laughs, uneasy. "This is the twenty-first century, you know. He doesn't have to make an honest omega out of me just because he's knocked me up." He squeezes Derek's hand, shares a tender look with him. "I know he's not going anywhere."

The sheriff sighs. "I know," he says, conceding the point. "I'm just - a bit excited. Everyone was, when they learned you two finally got together."

Stiles smiles. "It'll happen," he says. "I'm sure it will, one day. But right now you have another grandchild on the way - that's pretty great, right?"

"That is pretty great," the sheriff agrees with a grin. "Congratulations to you both."

Derek smiles. "Thank you."

"And as for moving back here," Stiles adds, "we have been talking about it."

The sheriff's expression goes hopeful. "You have?"

Derek nods. "Now that this whole mess with Violet has been taken care of, neither of us really have any ties to New York; I can work as a web developer anywhere, and Stiles can do his job anywhere, too."

"We were hoping to have a look at some properties while we're here," Stiles says. "We're not in any desperate rush, but we'd definitely like to have moved before I get to the point where I can't fly, or else we'll be stuck in New York until after Pickle is born."

The sheriff nods. "There are some really nice properties nearby," he says. "Some of them are fairly priced, too."

Derek smiles. "Thanks," he says sincerely. "We're looking forward to moving back here."

Stiles grins, sits back with a sigh. "Just wait 'til we tell Scott."

* * *

That's their first stop the next day; Scott had been working when they'd arrived, and they had a brief dinner with him and Melissa the night before, but the next day they get a chance to sit him down in the living room, Cass contentedly watching _Inside Out_ in the background. "So, we've got some news for you," Derek starts out with.

"What, that you're pregnant again?" Scott asks.

Stiles looks affronted. "How did you know?"

"Ally is, too," Scott answers, looking equal parts smug and ridiculously excited. "You smell just like her!"

"Oh my god!" Stiles splutters, flailing his way out of his seat so that he can give Scott a hug. "I'm so happy for you!"

Derek is able to conjure up a smile - not forced in the least, he's surprised to find - when Scott looks at him. "Congratulations," he agrees, leaning over to clap a hand to his half-brother's shoulder. "I'm sure you'll make a great father."

"Thank you," Scott says, looking surprised but pleased. "I know you will. Cass and Ben adore you."

Derek's smile widens. "The feeling is mutual," he says with a grin. "We also have another piece of news, though."

"Which is?" Scott demands, fighting his way out of Stiles' embrace so that he can beam at both of them. "Tell me!"

Derek chuckles. "We're going to be looking at houses in the area," he informs Scott. "We're going to be moving back here to Beacon Hills."

"What!" This time it's Scott's turn to flail his way into Stiles' arms, but Stiles just laughs and hugs him tight. "You're coming _home?_ "

That last bit is said while looking at Derek, who shrugs a shoulder. "Yeah," he says, the words feeling heavy with more meaning than just the surface one. "We're coming home."

* * *

They find a house within a week; it's a few streets over from the sheriff's and just as far from Scott and Allison, so it's a nice, central location. There's four bedrooms and three and a half bathrooms spread across two stories with a basement that's begging to be turned into a rec room. Derek and Stiles sign the papers and get a loan, putting down the down payment before they leave for New York.

From there, it takes a few months for them to get everything sorted before they're ready to move back to California, and honestly, Derek is pretty sure that he is not going to miss New York as he once feared he might have. They move in when Stiles is seven months pregnant, and Cassidy has just started attending preschool when Stiles - on both doctor's and Derek's orders - goes to the hospital to give birth to their newest child as soon as he feels labor pains. There's no complications this time, a fact that Derek will be eternally grateful for, and within twelve hours a wonderful baby girl is born. Cassidy gets to help with the naming again, and this time she picks Laurel, and Stiles suggests that they make her middle name 'Talia,' after Derek's mother. Derek will never admit how his eyes well up at that, but he's sure Stiles won't make fun of him for it.

When Stiles and Laurel are both finally released from the hospital, Derek hovers and fusses over them both until Stiles kicks him out of the house for a diaper run; with two babies under two years old, now, they're going to need a lot more. Derek's managed to calm himself down by the time he gets home, and he finds Stiles almost passed out on the couch with Benjamin in one arm, Laurel in the other, and Cassidy sleeping, butt in the air, across his legs. Derek can't help but laugh at the picture they make, picking Cassidy up and curling her into his arms as he sits down. "How you doing?"

"Whose idea was it to have three kids again?" Stiles asks, but he's smiling, soft and tired and so, _so_ happy. "I'm kidding. We're good. Tired, but really good."

Derek grins, leaning forward for a kiss. "Good. I got plenty of diapers and the usual supplies, just in case." 

"You're brilliant," Stiles tells him. "Truly fantastic. I love you."

Derek smiles. "I love you, too," he says. "But maybe we should wait a few years before the next kid, yeah?" 

Stiles groans. "Oh god, you want _more_?"

Derek's expression turns shy. "Well, maybe not until after... Until after we mate?" 

Stiles wheezes in a sharp breath. "Excuse me?"

Derek's ears go pink. "I meant to ask in a bit more formal way, but..." Derek shrugs. "I love you, and I love our kids - all of them. I'm not going anywhere, and I thought maybe we could make it official?" 

"Do you _want_ me to drop our babies?" Stiles demands, his voice soft and awed. "Yes. God, Derek, yes."

Derek grins. "Yes?" 

Stiles grins right back. "Yes!" he laughs - but the movement causes a disturbance amongst his children, and Laurel wakes with a whimper. "Oh my god. Take the baby, take the baby, take the baby."

Derek does with a small laugh, scooting closer as he tucks Laurel into his other arm, shushing her quietly with a kiss. "Your dad's gonna be over the moon when he hears." 

"Well, he can wait," Stiles says, his expression softening. "I'm spending today with my mate and our children."

Derek smiles at that, soft and fond. "I think that sounds like a great plan." 


End file.
